Lightning and the V8 Supercars
by CarsWorldFan
Summary: Sequel to Cars: Downunder. Lightning McQueen is now racing full-time in Australia with the V8 Supercars, but does he really have what it takes to go against some of the toughest racers in the world and still come out on top? And with his marriage to Sally, will he be able to balance racing with his career? Or will he have to give up something he loves? WARNING: character death.
1. Chapter 1 - Building up the Heat

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 1 - Building up the Heat

 **Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi – January 2015**

Late one morning, the usual peace and quiet of the spectacular Yas Marina Racing Circuit was being disturbed by the majestic roar of three distinctive V8 racing engines as the cars they belonged to tore around the racetrack. Despite being six years old, the racetrack still had a very new and somewhat clinical feel about it. All the buildings, grandstands and even the five-star hotel surrounding it were pristine white and chrome, and even the tarmac looked like it had never been driven on before, even though it had. Down in pit row, the V8 Supercars Redbulldozer Racing Team were gathered together in the welcoming shade of the pit garage, grateful that they weren't the ones doing the hard work today.

It was hot. Very hot, in fact, and the cloudless sky made the heat even more unbearable. The four large industrial fans inside the garage were going at full speed, but they weren't really having much effect in cooling everyone. The team manager, a forklift named Mark 'Dutto' Dutton, was fanning himself with an old flyer he'd found lying around inside the garage. He'd been Jamie's crew chief until only a month ago, when the team's boss and owner, Leyland Dane, had decided to give the whole team a shake-up for the up-coming racing season. Dutto didn't mind his promotion. As team manager, he was now in charge of all the racers. Everything was his responsibility – from what moves they made during a race, right down to what time they went to bed each night, as well as their diets and exercise regimens. It was a huge responsibility, but he felt confident that he could manage it.

Dutto glanced over at the team's two new crew chiefs, who were both watching their computer monitors closely. Jamie Win-Cup's new crew chief, David 'Davo' Carchi, had been promoted to crew chief after serving as a data engineer with the team since 2007. Dutto trusted him thoroughly. But Craig Louds' new crew chief, Grant McCarson, was a different matter. He used to work with Ford Performance Racing, which made everyone wary of him. After all, Australians were either ardent Holden or Ford supporters, and so when someone crossed over into the other camp, it took years to learn to trust them entirely. Grant knew this, so he was determined to prove to Dutto and Leyland that he wasn't about to sabotage the team or Craig's chances of winning the Championship.

Frowning thoughtfully, Dutto returned his attention to his own monitors. Along with being the team's manager, Leyland had also given him the task of being Lightning McQueen's crew chief for the year. Dutto didn't mind that. Since Lightning was only in the Development Series, being his crew chief wouldn't take up much more of his time. Besides, he rather liked working with the cocky young racer, who was now in his prime as a racer. Lightning had been Craig's co-racer in the V8 Supercars Enduro Cup during the previous racing season, and Dutto had found that Lightning tended to listen to his advice more than anyone else's. That was very important when it came to racing. After all, how was a racer supposed to be successful on the racetrack if he couldn't get along with his team?

Hearing someone panting heavily behind him, Dutto turned around in time to see Leyland enter the pit garage, carrying a tray of ice-cold drinks. "Anyone thirsty?" Leyland asked. Seconds later, Leyland was left with nothing but an empty tray. He glanced at it, bemused. "Ask a silly question…" He tossed it aside. "How's it all going, Dutto?"

"Not bad. The lap times are lagging a bit though."

Leyland frowned with concern. "What do you mean, 'lagging'?"

"To be fair, it is thirty-two degrees out there. Craig and Jamie are just coping with it, but Lightning's engine temp is slightly elevated. Don't worry. Dr Andrews and I are keeping a close eye on him."

Leyland glanced at the lap times. He shook his front. "That's not good enough, Dutto. Those times are varying by up to five seconds! I want to see consistency."

Now it was Dutto's turn to frown. Leyland was a nice guy, but sometimes he could be a hard taskmaster. Perhaps that was the reason behind the team's success.

"The reason we train the racers over here during the off season is because winter in Abu Dhabi is consistent with summer in Australia."

"We don't have to come here to practice, Leyland," Dutto pointed out. "We could just as easily practice at home in Ipswich. Admit it. You just insist on coming here every summer so you can have a free holiday at Redbulldozer's expense."

Leyland scowled, and Dutto knew he'd struck a nerve. Leyland decided to ignore his comment.

"If they can't race well here, we can bid farewell to the Championship. We only get three chances a year to practice on proper racetracks, so we need to make the most of this opportunity. Now push them, Mark! Get those times fast and consistent!"

"Yes, Leyland," Dutto quickly agreed. He adjusted the mic on his headset. "Lightning? This isn't a holiday. At least, for you it isn't. You're not here to relax. Come on, now! Push yourself!"

Davo and Grant also passed on similar messages to Jamie and Craig.

Out on the racetrack, Lightning heard Dutto's orders over his radio. He groaned inwardly. He knew he'd been slowing down, but having been racing flat out for the past two and a half hours in the unbearable heat, he was starting to feel sick.

Hearing someone starting to overtake him, Lightning glanced to his right. It was Jamie. Out of the two full-time Redbulldozer racers, Jamie was the closest to Lightning in age, and that's why they got along so well together. They were also champions in their own racing codes, which meant that they had a friendly rivalry both on and off the racetrack.

Jamie glanced at Lightning. He could see how hot and bothered the American racer was, so he decided to push Lightning's buttons a bit. "You're not used to racing in these sort of temperatures, are you?"

"I _can_ do it if I have to," Lightning panted.

"Oh, come on! Seriously? I know all about your Piston Cup races." Jamie continued speaking in a mocking tone, "Oops! It's started raining. We'll have to cancel the race so the racetrack doesn't become a skidpan. Oh, dear! Someone tapped somebody's side. Red flag! The temperature just went up by a degree! Panic! The race will have to be run at night! Oh! There's a curve up ahead! Left turn! Which way do I go here? Whoops! It's another left turn! And another… Left turn…left turn…left turn…"

"Stop it!" Lightning shouted.

"Haha! See? I told you, you were soft."

Lightning felt his anger rising. "You're just jealous!"

"Why would I be jealous?" Jamie taunted. "It's easier to win a Piston Cup than it is to win a V8 Supercar Championship. Pfft! If I was in the Piston Cup, I'd have broken the all-time record by now!"

"Yeah, right! You don't know what you're talking about."

"Obviously I do, since you decided to leave the Piston Cup!"

"How dare you!" Lightning snapped, enraged. He could feel his oil pressure rising as he glared furiously at his teammate.

"Easily. Now, eat my fumes!"

Laughing, Jamie finally overtook Lightning cleanly, and he accelerated. Lightning coughed as the heat generated by Jamie's engine hit him full in the face, almost choking him.

"Fine! If that's how you want it…"

Shifting up a gear, Lightning set off in hot pursuit of Jamie. He caught up with him shortly after turn nine, as they entered the straight. Lightning floored it, pushing his engine to the max. But Jamie heard Lightning coming, and he responded to the challenge. The two world-class racers tore down the straight side-by-side, refusing to give each other an inch. Glancing down at his speedometer, Lightning saw that he was maxed out at three hundred kilometres an hour. He was still getting used to using the metric system, so while three hundred kilometres an hour sounded fast, it really wasn't the fastest he could actually go. Like all V8 Supercars, Lightning had a temporary speed limiter installed, to keep him under the three hundred mark for his own safety.

Looking up, Lightning could see that he and Jamie were getting very close to the end of the straight. One of them would have to yield, but Lightning wasn't about to give Jamie the satisfaction. Unfortunately, Lightning was on the inside, which meant that under V8 Supercar rules, he would have to give Jamie room to move around the apex.

Jamie braked first, surrendering his lead to Lightning. Grinning, Lightning also slowly applied his brakes so he could take the sharp corner. Just when Lightning thought he'd make it, he felt his brakes lock up, which meant that he momentarily lost control of his steering.

"No!" Lightning exclaimed in disbelief as he drove straight past the apex. Jamie shot around the corner behind him, laughing gleefully. Acting quickly to avoid crashing, Lightning released his brakes briefly, before slamming them back on again, hard. He skidded to a stop in the pale blue and white coloured gravel, with his front right fender less than ten centimetres away from the solid concrete wall that marked the racetrack's perimeter. Shocked, Lightning remained where he was, panting heavily as he tried to figure out what had gone wrong. A moment later, he heard Dutto's voice come on over his radio.

"Come into the pits, Lightning."

Groaning, Lightning shifted himself into reverse gear. But as he tried to move, a wave of nausea overwhelmed him, and he sank back down on his wheels.

"Dutto? I… I'm not feeling well…"

"Can you make it back to the pits without help?"

"Possibly. I just need a moment though."

"No, Lightning. You need to move. Now! Before you completely collapse."

Gulping back the nausea, Lightning closed his eyes tightly. It felt so good to finally block out the relentless sunlight. Opening his eyes a crack, Lightning returned to the tarmac. Turning on his hazard lights, he began the long, slow drive back to pit lane.

Before long, Lightning saw the pit lane entry. Breathing a small sigh of relief, he entered the speed-restricted zone, and he drove slowly towards the garage the team was using. The garage entrance was quickly cleared to give Lightning room to enter. As soon as Lightning was safely inside and out of the heat, he collapsed heavily onto his chassis, closing his eyes. He hadn't quite fainted, but he felt very close to it. He could hear the pit crew moving around him.

"Hose him down," Dutto ordered. "And get some coolant into him."

The pit crew leapt into action. Dutto frowned when he saw the water from the hose being turned into steam as soon as it landed on Lightning's boiling hot body. Dr Andrews offered the exhausted race car some coolant, but Lightning refused to take any. In fact, he could scarcely draw in one breath after another without rasping. Yet another wave of nausea rolled through his tank, but he had almost nothing in it to bring up. Still, he did manage to retch, which immediately alarmed Dr Andrews.

Dr Andrews turned to face Leyland. "Leyland, this can't go on! Not in this heat."

"If they can't race well here…"

"It's a dry heat! Lightning's not used to it!"

"Andrews…"

"They don't race in these sort of conditions in America, and he hasn't raced properly in over three months because of his injury!"

Leyland exhaled deeply. Deep down, he knew that Dr Andrews was right. He turned to Davo and Grant. "How are the other two going?"

"They're exhausted too," Davo replied. "And they're much fitter than Lightning is."

"It's time to call it a day, Leyland," Dutto told him firmly. "They've been racing flat out since nine o'clock, and it's now eleven forty-five."

Leyland nodded slowly in agreement. "Okay. Bring them in."

Davo and Grant began giving orders to Jamie and Craig over the radio. Leyland turned his attention to Lightning.

Lightning could hear everyone talking all around him, but he was too exhausted to listen. Someone kept trying to push a straw into his mouth, but he didn't want a drink. He didn't feel thirsty at all now, which surprised him. Only minutes earlier when he'd been out on the track, he'd been desperate for a drink! He groaned as he retched again.

"Lightning… You need to drink this. Now!"

Surprised at Dr Andrew's harsh tone, Lightning's eyelids flew open, revealing his famous brilliant sapphire-blue eyes. Dr Andrews pushed a can towards him again.

"Don't…want…it…" Lightning whimpered.

"You have to take it, regardless. You have heat stress. Trust me. You'll feel much better once you've had it. It'll help settle your tank."

Lightning whimpered again, but he still refused to drink. Dutto drove over to them.

"What's wrong?"

"Lightning's refusing to drink the coolant," Dr Andrews explained.

"Put it straight into his radiator then."

With a heavy sigh, Dr Andrews called one of the mechanics over. Lightning barely even felt them remove his bonnet clips, or lift up his bonnet.

"What's wrong with Lightning?" Jamie asked suddenly as he drove into the pit garage.

Startled, Lightning jumped, landing heavily back on his tyres, and accidentally making the mechanic spill coolant all over Lightning's front. Lightning yelped as the cool liquid splashed all over his mouth.

"Hold still, Lightning!" the mechanic ordered him. "I need to get this into your radiator."

"Forget it," Dr Andrews chuckled when he saw the exhausted racer greedily licking up the coolant that was within reach of his tongue. He pushed the can in front of Lightning again. This time, Lightning drank it in just two gulps.

Annoyed, the mechanic slammed Lightning's bonnet closed.

"Ow!" Lightning gasped, flinching. "No need to be so rough!" He groaned as a strong wave of nausea rose up in his tank. "Oh no! I'm going to be sick!"

Dr Andrews slid a shallow tray in front of Lightning just in time. Unable to cope with the disgusting sight of vomit, everyone looked away. Only Dr Andrews watched on as Lightning hurled up the contents of his tank.

Once Lightning was done, he let out a low moan. The after-taste of fuel and coolant burned his sensitive mouth and throat, but even so, he was reluctant to drink the soothing oil Dr Andrews offered him.

"Just take a sip," Dr Andrews gently suggested. "To wash away the burning."

Nodding weakly, Lightning took a couple of small sips. To his great relief, it did help him feel a bit better.

Dutto picked up a couple of files. "Lightning, when you're able to move, can you please come and find me? I'll be upstairs in meeting room number five."

"Sure, Dutto," Lightning sighed. He resumed slowly drinking the cool, refreshing oil.

…

Twenty minutes later, Lightning slowly drove up the winding ramp that led to the two upper floors above the pit garages. He was feeling much better now, but he didn't want to run the risk of throwing up again, so he didn't rush about the way he normally would.

Meeting room number five wasn't too hard for him to find. Once he had, he knocked softly on the door with his tyre.

"Come in," Dutto called.

Lightning entered the room, allowing the door to swing closed behind him. Dutto was typing away on his laptop, but he looked up when he saw Lightning.

"How are you feeling now?"

"Tired, but at least I haven't thrown up again."

"That's usually a sign that you've pushed yourself too hard. I saw you racing Jamie."

Lightning shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, well… He egged me on…"

"I'm glad he did. You set a P.B. coming down the straight while you were racing. Maybe I should ask Jamie to egg you on more often," he added with a knowing wink.

Lightning exhaled deeply. "What happened with my brakes? I've never had them lock up that badly before."

"The heat tends to make them do that. Especially in this dry heat. But that's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. You might have been wondering why we haven't yet talked to you about what the V8 officials want the Development Series cars to test this year."

"No, not really."

Dutto chuckled. "Well, the reason they haven't told us what to test this year is because they don't need anything to be tested. But we – that is, our team – does need something tested. For the past two years, our mechanics have been working on developing a new type of brake lever that should, at least in theory, reduce the reaction time for braking by up to two tenths of a second. You'd know better than most people just how important reaction times are in racing."

Lightning nodded. "I'm guessing you want me to test this new brake lever?"

"Yes. The final prototype has just been completed. We'll have Dr Andrews install it in you once we get back to Australia. You'll get the opportunity to test it properly for us at the practice day in Sydney at the start of February. If it's successful, we'll install it in Craig and Jamie as well."

Lightning groaned. "Does that mean I have to have another operation?"

"No. We'll be able to install this under a local anaesthetic." Dutto smiled when he heard Lightning breathe a sigh of relief. "I'm hoping it'll help prevent locking brakes, like the one you experienced today. One more thing. We seriously need to work on your new paintwork. I'm thinking a dark blue basecoat with-"

"No! My basecoat stays red. I'm perfectly happy to have whatever sponsors stickers you want me to have, but I'm keeping the red."

Dutto glanced down at his laptop, where he had a CGI model of Lightning in his new paintwork projected up on the screen. Most of the new stickers were for the Redbulldozer brand. _Lucky one of their main colours is red_ , Dutto thought. He glanced up at Lightning. "I guess we can work around that." He clicked a button with the cursor, and the CGI model's basecoat changed to red. Dutto smiled. It didn't actually look that bad. He closed the laptop before opening up one of the files.

"Right. Let's discuss your performance from today…"

 **Please, take the time to review. I'm really excited about this story now that I've started it! It's taken me about a month to write this chapter, and figure out where I want this story to go, so please let me know what you think of it so far. Thank you.**


	2. Chapter 2 - Settling In

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 2 – Settling In

 **Brisbane International Airport, Australia – January 2015**

Sally drove back and forth, pacing the polished white stone floor of the arrivals terminal with eager anticipation. Lightning was coming home! By 'home' she really meant their new home in Brisbane, Queensland. And, for the time being, 'home' was a luxurious suite in a hotel somewhere in Brisbane's CBD that Leyland had arranged for herself and Lightning to stay in temporarily. Sally had never really liked cities, but Brisbane was very different to most American cities. If it didn't have so many skyscrapers, it'd really be nothing more than a large town. Despite that, Sally couldn't wait to show Lightning the small property she'd found for them to rent.

Nearby, Sally saw Craig Louds' wife waiting patiently with their two kids; a son and a daughter. Sally smiled at the sight. They looked like the perfect, happy family, and that's exactly what she wanted for herself and Lightning.

"Oh! Where are they?" Sally muttered impatiently.

"Their flight's landed," Mrs Louds told her calmly, "so they shouldn't be too much longer. They do have to get through customs, and that can sometimes take a while. You'll get used to all this soon enough, dear. Leyland won't let any of the team leave the customs area until they've all passed through the security checks."

A few minutes later, Sally breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the now-familiar Redbulldozer Racing team emerge from the customs area. Leyland was leading the team, followed by Jamie, Craig and…

"Stickers!" Sally shouted so loudly, her voice could be heard all around the terminal.

Grinning mischievously, Lightning drove straight over to her, and they embraced each other passionately with a kiss on the lips.

"Mmm!" Sally moaned as they broke off the kiss. "I've really missed you."

"Me too," Lightning sighed "It's a shame Leyland wouldn't let you come to Abu Dhabi with us."

"You know the rules, Lightning," Leyland said firmly beside him. "No women allowed at training camps." He turned to Sally. "Do you have everything you need?"

"The hotel's nice, thank you, Leyland, but I've been on the lookout for a small property to rent. I've found one that I really like, and I'd love to be able to show it to Lightning soon."

"Well, I'm giving the whole team the day off tomorrow, to help them recover from the jetlag, so that might be your best opportunity for now."

Sally nodded. Glancing past Lightning, she saw Craig bouncing his son up and down on his bonnet. The little boy screamed and giggled excitedly. She couldn't help but smile at the happy sight. She'd always dreamed of being a mother, but she was worried that Lightning might not want to start a family anytime soon. It would also be harder for them to undergo the process with the Brisbane factory, since they were, technically, in a foreign country. She had thought of applying for permanent residency, which would make the process easier, but she knew that the hardest part would actually be convincing Lightning.

Leyland had turned his attention back to Lightning. "I'll get Dutto to run through the process for Sydney with you on Wednesday. And if Dr Andrews gives you a clean bill of health, we'll also install the 'stick'."

Lightning nodded in understanding. Because the new brake lever was a closely guarded secret within the team, it was only ever referred to as the 'stick' now, as a code name.

"What's the 'stick'?" Sally asked curiously.

"Never mind," Lightning told her gently. He turned back to look at Leyland. "Am I good to go then?"

"Yes. Just remember. Headquarters, nine a.m. on Wednesday. And don't be late!"

"Got it, and I won't be. Let's get outta here, Sal!"

Together, the young couple-to-be drove out of the busy airport.

…

The following day, Lightning and Sally drove north to inspect the small property Sally had found for them to rent. Sally talked relentlessly about how perfect the place would be for them, but Lightning was a bit more apprehensive. The property seemed to be quite some distance away from Brisbane, and the heat and humidity wasn't really having a good effect on Lightning's mood. He tried to be enthusiastic and pay attention to Sally's excited chatter.

"…and then if we get a few tractors, you'll be able to do a bit of tractor tipping," Sally continued enthusiastically.

Lightning chuckled. "Actually, Sal, I'm not sure I'll bother going tractor tipping without Mater. I don't get quite the same kick out of it that he gets."

"Well, it'd still be nice to have a few tractors…"

"You'd have to milk them. Twice, daily. And somehow I can't quite picture you doing that."

"Oh, really?" Sally's blue eyes flashed crossly. She didn't sound terribly impressed by Lightning's scepticism.

"Well, yeah. I mean…you are a Porsche…"

"So what?"

"Technically speaking, you're a city-" Lightning stopped talking abruptly when Sally slapped his rear end with her tyre. "Ow! What was that for?"

"I am NOT a city car, Lightning Blaze McQueen, and don't you ever forget that!"

Lightning grinned cheekily. "I might. One day, when I'm old and senile," he quickly added.

Sally focussed on something ahead of them. "Ah! Good! Here's our exit."

Lightning dropped back behind Sally as they exited the highway. Sally led him down several quiet, twisting country roads until they reached a gravel driveway with a low metal gate. Sally pressed a button on the ground, and the gate slowly rolled open. She drew in a deep breath.

"This is it!"

Lightning followed Sally up the long gravel driveway. On both sides of the driveway, there was nothing but thick bushland and tall gumtrees. After travelling for about five hundred metres, the bushland stopped abruptly, revealing a modest-sized single-story brick house with a wrap-around veranda. Beyond it, brown, grassy paddocks dotted with patches of bushland filled the landscape all the way to the blue and purple-tinged mountain range on the horizon.

"Whoa!" Lightning breathed in amazement. "How big is this place?"

"Only fifty acres belong to this property," Sally explained. "The rest belong to the neighbours."

"How come it's so dry?"

"It's summer. Apparently, many places in Australia suffer from drought conditions at this time of year. The owner of this property told me that it can go very green after a lot of rain, but after a few days it dries out again. Normally it's not this dry. This part of the Sunshine Coast is one of the wettest in the area."

"I see,' Lightning said thoughtfully.

"So…? Can we rent it?" Sally asked excitedly.

"Let's see inside the house first."

"The owner only gave me permission to show you the property today," Sally explained. "But I can show you the house through the windows. I admit that it's nothing fancy like your family's New York City penthouse, but I really like it."

"Just as long as it has air conditioning, I'll be happy," Lightning replied.

Looking through the house's windows, Lightning liked what he saw. Sure, it was humble, but it looked very cosy, especially with the large stone fireplace in the lounge room. He could easily imagine himself and Sally snuggling up in front of it on those long cold winter nights. He'd already realised that Sally wouldn't be happy living in the city. This is what she wanted – a little oasis similar to Radiator Springs. Since he'd been the one to drag her halfway around the world, away from everything she knew and loved, the least he could do was to let her decide where they would live.

He turned to face her. "You know what I think?"

A worried look crossed her face. "What?"

"I think you should sign the contract for this place. Today."

Sally squealed excitedly, and she hugged him tightly with her tyres. "Oh, thank you, Stickers! Thank you so much! Let's go and talk to the agent right now."

Lightning chuckled at her enthusiastic reaction. It reminded him of her reaction when he'd asked her to marry him, and it made him happy to see her so happy. But he was worried about one thing – keeping her from being lonely whenever he was away. Sally was gregarious, so even if this place was ideal for them to live, she needed someone to keep her company when he couldn't be with her. It was something they'd have to talk about sooner rather than later.

 **Thank you so much for the reviews guys! I really do appreciate your feedback. It's what keeps me motivated when I'm suffering from writer's block.**


	3. Chapter 3 - Sugar Rush

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 3 – Sugar Rush

 **Triple Eight Race Engineering Team Headquarters – Banyo, Brisbane, Australia – January 2015.**

Lightning arrived at the Redbulldozer Racing's team headquarters in Banyo, North-East of Brisbane's CBD promptly at nine a.m. the next morning. He was still feeling a little bit jetlagged, but he was keen to resume training. Upon entering the spotlessly clean building, he drove over to the reception desk.

"Morning, Lightning," Susan the pretty pink Holden Astra receptionist smiled. "Would you like me to let Leyland know that you've arrived?"

"And Dutto too, please."

"Sure, I'll do that for you," Susan replied as her phone started ringing. "Excuse me." She pressed a button and started speaking into her headset. "Triple Eight Race Engineering Australia, how can I help you?"

Smiling contently, Lightning drove over to the small cafeteria. Jamie was already parked at a table, happily munching on a doughnut. In an open box on the table in front of him were three more heavily iced doughnuts in different flavours.

"Are those Krispy Kremes?" Lightning asked in amazement. He was almost drooling at the sight of the sickly sweet treats. "I can't believe you have those here in Australia! I haven't had one of those since I was a kid!"

Grinning, Jamie slid the box towards him. "Knock yourself out, but save one for Craig."

Lightning hesitated. "Who's the fourth one for?"

"Me, of course! I paid for them."

"Dutto will kill us if he sees us eating these!" Lightning whispered.

"Hurry up and eat it then, before he does!"

After taking a quick glance behind him in his temporary rear view mirrors, Lightning neatly grabbed the cookies 'n' crème flavoured doughnut out of the box with his teeth. The taste of sugar made his mouth tingle in nervous excitement. His body hadn't experienced heavily refined sugar in ten years, and it was screaming out for him to eat it, despite his brain's protests.

"We really shouldn't be eating these, Jamie…"

Jamie rolled his eyes. "You know you want it! Besides, what harm can one little doughnut do?"

That made up Lightning's mind. "You're right." And with that, he took a large bite.

"Hey guys!"

Hearing the voice behind him, Lightning almost choked. Gasping, he looked up to see who had snuck up on them. To his surprise, it was Shane VanGearsbergen.

"What are you doing here?" Jamie asked, not sounding terribly pleased. "Have you come for a refit? Or to steal some of our team's secrets?"

Shane chuckled as he parked across the table from them. "Actually, I've just had a meeting with Leyland. He wanted to talk to me."

"What about?" Lightning wondered.

"Oh… Things…" Shane glanced down at the box of Krispy Kremes. "Doughnuts? For breakfast? Is that one of your new secrets then, huh? You know those things will send your RPMs sky-high, right?"

"What's it to you?" Jamie shot back.

Shane reversed a little. "Hey! I'm just trying to be friendly here, mate. And you may as well get used to it, because you might be seeing a lot more of me around here."

Jamie opened his mouth to say something in reply, but before he could, Leyland's voice sounded from the mezzanine above and behind them.

"Shane! I thought I told you to clear out of here without annoying any of my racers!"

"Just going now, Leyland!" Shane called back. He winked at Jamie. "See you on the racetrack."

"Jerk," Jamie muttered as he revved his engine irritably while Shane blithely made his way over to the exit. He was just about to take another bite from his doughnut, when another voice sounded behind him and Lightning. This voice sent chills racing down their roofs.

"Ah! There you are."

It was Dutto. Lightning quickly gulped down the remainder of his doughnut. Then he cleared his throat. "Morning, Dutto!"

Dutto joined them at the table. He frowned when he saw the box of Krispy Kremes open in front of them. "Okay, who's responsible for these?"

Jamie reluctantly held up a tyre. "I couldn't help it, Dutto! I had to stop for fuel on my way here, and the only place that had E85 had these on special, so I just-"

"Helped yourself?" Dutto finished.

"Well…uh…yeah…"

Dutto shook his head. "Jamie, I'm very disappointed in you. You should know better than this. In fact, I know you do." He picked up the box with the last two doughnuts in it. "I'm confiscating these."

Jamie pouted. "I hope you and Leyland enjoy them."

Lightning stifled a chuckle when he saw the perplexed look on Dutto's face. Unfortunately, that caused the team manager to turn his attention on Lightning instead.

"I suppose you've had one of these doughnuts too, haven't you, Lightning?"

"Uh…" Lightning grimaced.

"Thought as much. You'll both be punished for this. You know you're on special, restricted diets, and you can't have anything other than what we give you. I'm afraid I'll have to let Dr Andrews know about this too."

"Hey, where's Craig?" Jamie asked, deliberately changing the subject.

"Probably late again," Lightning muttered despondently. Craig had a habit of being late.

"Craig phoned me about fifteen minutes ago," Leyland called down from the mezzanine. Lightning had forgotten that he was still there, and he jumped slightly. If Leyland saw Lightning's reaction, he chose to ignore it. "He won't be coming in at all today."

"Traffic jam?" Jamie asked.

"No. He's got some personal issues he needs to get sorted out. That's all I can tell you, I'm afraid. He said he'd make up for it later this week."

"What about Shane's visit?" Jamie continued.

"Again, I can't tell you anything about that. And instead of playing 'twenty questions' with me, Jamie, I suggest you get to work. You too, Lightning. You've both got five hundred extra calories to burn off now, thanks to your early morning tea break. That should take you both an extra half an hour on the rolling road, going at top speed." And with that, Leyland drove away towards his office.

Looking back at Dutto holding his box of doughnuts, Jamie sighed despondently. Then a smirk slowly crept over his face as a wicked thought struck him. He whistled loudly.

"Hey, everyone! Dutto's got free doughnuts!"

Dutto's eyes widened when he heard the rumbling sound of stampeding cars and forklifts coming from all directions inside the building. Office doors flew open all over the place and seconds later, he was crash-tackled to the floor by a mob of about twenty vehicles. Lightning and Jamie stood well out of the way, laughing hysterically.

"Get off me!" Dutto exclaimed. "I need to breathe!"

Reluctantly, everyone backed off. One of the data engineers and a mechanic drove away happily munching on their more-or-less intact doughnuts. Groaning, Dutto righted himself. He held the remains of the cardboard box in the claw at the end of his right arm.

"Perhaps you should join the Rugby League, Dutto?" Jamie grinned. "You'd make a great full-back! Come on, Speedster. Let's get ourselves some coffee."

"Oh, no you don't!" Dutto yelled, jumping in front of both racers to block them. "Get upstairs to the training room at once, Jamie! I'll tell Davo what I want you to do in a minute. Lightning? You're coming with me."

Reluctantly, Jamie drove over to the ramp. Lightning followed Dutto down one of the hallways until they reached Dutto's office. Once they were inside it, Lightning parked himself in front of the desk, while Dutto drove around behind it. He dialled a number on his phone.

"Davo? It's Dutto. I have your instructions for Jamie. He's to do five hundred kilometres today. I know that's a lot, but he needs it. He's got way too much energy this morning. Oh, and keep an eye on his sugar levels. The stupid car had a doughnut this morning. Yeah, we were lucky we caught him before he had any more. Just push him until he's exhausted. I don't care if he collapses like Lightning did in Abu Dhabi. And if he slacks off, I'll drop by later and zap a few thousand volts into him. It's more than what he deserves after the prank he just pulled on me."

Dutto hung up the phone, and he turned to face Lightning.

"I'm disappointed in you too, Lightning. I had planned to get the new brake lever installed in you today, but we can't do it if you're hot from the training you'll need to do to burn off all that sugar. Which places us in a dilemma."

"What dilemma?"

"Well, do we install the brake lever in you now, and risk you getting restless and agitated because you're full of sugar, or do we get you to burn it all off and wait until you've cooled down?"

Lightning sighed despondently. "I'm sorry, Dutto. I didn't even think about that."

"I know. I can see that Jamie's going to be a bad influence on you. Sure, he's a brilliant racer, but he's also a larrikin."

"A what-kin?"

"A larrikin. A prankster and mischief-maker."

"Oh."

"Stay here," Dutto instructed. "I'll go and talk to Dr Andrews about what to do with you."

Lightning pouted as Dutto left the room. He looked around Dutto's office curiously. The best he could describe it as was 'organised mess'. Papers and files were piled high on the desk, and the walls were covered with corkboards and whiteboards, which were plastered in even more paper. Only the filing cabinets displayed any signs of being tidy. Redbulldozer Racing souvenirs decorated the whole office, and an old calendar hung on the back of the door. It was opened to March 2006. Upon closer inspection, Lightning saw why Dutto had kept it. Under the 26th, Dutto had written – 'First win with Jamie, Adelaide 500'. Lightning smiled. It was very clear to him now that Dutto's threats to Jamie were just that – threats. Dutto really did care about Jamie in an almost father-son relationship, just like what he'd had with Doc.

Lightning sighed despondently. It had been a long time since he'd thought about Doc like that. He really missed having Doc with him, even if they had actually ended up being in a father-son relationship after Doc married Lightning's mother, Elinor. And, if it hadn't been for Doc pushing him and giving him so much useful advice during his early career, he probably wouldn't have ended up racing here now. In fact, he probably would've ended up retiring years ago.

A few minutes later, Dutto returned to his office. "Follow me, Lightning. Dr Andrews wants to see you now."

Lightning obeyed, but he was afraid of what Dr Andrews would say. Dutto's ticking off had been bad enough. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle another one.

Dr Andrew's office was a complete contrast to Dutto's. Everything was spick and span, and sanitary, but it had an uncomfortable clinical feel to it. It reminded Lightning of Doc's clinic. That thought made him feel a bit guilty. He didn't like thinking that anything connected with Doc had been bad. He tried to change the direction of his thoughts, but thinking of Doc made him think of Radiator Springs and his friends, and that gave him a pang of homesickness. It was like dominos – one sad thought leading to the next, each one making him even more unhappy. He shook his bonnet to try and snap out of it.

"So, I hear you and Jamie hit the sugar this morning," Dr Andrews said when he saw Lightning.

Lightning quickly tried to concentrate. "Uh…yeah. Sorry."

"It's okay. I can imagine that the temptation must have been rather strong."

"Well, I haven't had sugar like that since I started racing professionally," Lightning admitted.

"I understand. But that does create a little problem for us. Fortunately, it'll be at least two hours before you start having a sugar high, so why don't we install the new brake lever now? What do you say, Dutto?"

The forklift shrugged. "Why not? Otherwise we'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"Can you explain to me more about this brake lever?" Lightning asked. "I mean, since I'm going to have it installed, I probably should understand how it works."

Dr Andrews and Dutto exchanged glances. "I think we can tell him now," Dutto said. "But Lightning…this is top, top secret. What I'm about to tell you does not leave this room, understood?"

Lightning nodded slowly.

"Okay. What we're about to install isn't really a brake lever. We've just been calling it that in case news of it gets leaked to the media or another team. Jeremy, Craig's crew chief last year, designed it. It's really a new type of brake bias lever. You know how your current one is difficult to adjust, so you tend to leave it for a few laps until you really need to make an adjustment?"

Lightning nodded again.

"Well, this one is much more sensitive, and it'll have a little screen come up on your dash, so you'll be able to know immediately how much you need to adjust it, and you'll be able to adjust it much more often; perhaps even as much as several times a lap. This is what will give you the faster reaction time that we've been talking about. Do you understand?"

"I think so. I'm sure I'll figure it out properly once it's been installed."

"I'm sure you will," Dutto smiled.

"I'll just check your vitals now," Dr Andrews said as he placed the earpieces of his stethoscope over his ears. He placed the end piece against Lightning's side, making the race car flinch.

"Ah! That's cold!" Lightning exclaimed.

"Sorry. Right, breathe in for me, please," Dr Andrews instructed. Lightning did so. "And out again."

Once Dr Andrews was satisfied with Lightning's breathing and RPMs, he opened Lightning's bonnet. Lightning felt Dr Andrews place a small clamp around one of his oil lines. He knew that Dr Andrews was doing that to check his pulse rate and oil pressure. Since he couldn't see anything around the raised bonnet, he closed his eyes.

"Right, that's all good," Dr Andrews said as he closed Lightning's bonnet.

Lightning moaned sleepily. He'd been really relaxed throughout all of Dr Andrew's tests, because of his jetlag.

"How am I?" Lightning asked, opening his eyes again.

"Perfectly healthy," Dr Andrews smiled. "Although your RPMs are starting to climb, but I'm putting that down to all the sugar you just ingested. I'll go and ask my assistant to come in and get set up. Can you please make yourself comfortable on the hydraulic lift?"

"Sure." And Lightning reluctantly drove onto it. He watched quietly as Dr Andrews and his assistant set up their equipment nearby.

Once everything was ready, the assistant placed a locked metal case on the medical trolley, while Dr Andrews sterilised his arms.

"Mind if I stay and watch?" Dutto asked.

"Doesn't bother me," Dr Andrews replied. "But only if you stay right where you are now."

"Can I see the new brake bias lever?" Lightning asked hopefully.

"Sorry, Lightning," the assistant apologised. "This device is so secret even you can't see it."

Lightning pouted.

"Right, Lightning," Dr Andrews said gently as he finished drying his arms. "All being well, this should be quick and painless…" He pressed a button, which locked Lightning's wheels to the lift. Once he was sure Lightning was secure, he pressed the button that raised the hydraulic lift. "Are you comfortable up there, Lightning?"

"As well as can be expected," Lightning sighed.

Like all cars, he hated having his undercarriage exposed. Especially with Dutto standing there, watching. It made him feel very self-conscious. But that was until he saw the size of the hypodermic syringe Dr Andrews was holding. His eyes widened in fear.

"Hey! You said this wouldn't hurt!"

"It won't. You'll just feel a tiny prick…" He moved beneath Lightning.

"Ow!" Lightning yelped as he felt the needle go inside his body, right near where his brake bias lever emerged from his body to connect with his brakes. He scowled. "That was more than 'a tiny prick'!"

"Sorry," Dr Andrews chuckled. "Thought you'd be able to handle it, considering the way you smash yourself up every time you race. You brush those big hits off like they're nothing."

"Yeah, well… Adrenalin does that to you."

Lightning grimaced as Dr Andrews removed the needle. The doctor turned to his assistant.

"We'll just give the anaesthetic a few minutes to work. Have the new lever ready to go."

A few minutes later, Lightning felt his body relax. That didn't bother him though, since he knew that was what usually happened to him whenever he was given a local anaesthetic. Plus his jetlag didn't help much. However, his mind continued to remain active, so he closed his eyes and listened quietly while Dr Andrews and his assistant removed his brake current brake bias lever and installed the new one. The local anaesthetic did its job well, and Lightning didn't feel a thing.

"It should just lock into place," Dr Andrews told his assistant.

A moment later, Lightning felt as small jolt and a 'click' as the new brake bias lever was locked into place. A red light flashed up on his dash panel, showing that the brake bias' electrical system had connected up to him properly. However, since Lightning's eyes were closed, he didn't see it.

"There! All done now," Dr Andrews told Dutto as he emerged from beneath Lightning. He turned to face Lightning, and was surprised to find that he had his eyes closed. "Lightning? Are you still awake?"

"Mmm…" Lightning moaned sleepily.

"We need to test the new lever now. Can you set the bias to eighty percent and then apply your front brakes for me, please?" Dr Andrews moved beneath Lightning in time to see Lightning make a feeble attempt to apply his brakes. "You're going to have to try harder than that."

"I can't feel anything, so I can't tell if they're on," Lightning said.

"You need to trust the bias."

Lightning did so, and his front brakes locked on with eight percent power.

"Excellent! Try that again, and see how fast you can do it."

Lightning released his brakes. Dutto moved around the edge of the room to get a better look as Lightning applied his front brakes again. This time, they went on much faster.

"Not bad," Dutto smiled. "Let's see the back ones now."

Again, Lightning applied his brakes, but this time it was for his rear wheels. Dutto shook his head.

"It doesn't look any faster."

"It's not supposed to look faster," the assistant replied. "It's Lightning's reaction time that should, in theory, be faster. The secret is all in the new bias device and micro-computer inside him. Once he gets used to using it, you'll see a difference in his reaction times. Especially out on the racetrack."

Dutto didn't look convinced and, if Lightning was honest with himself, he didn't feel convinced either. Still, this was racing, so he was willing to give any device that could give him even a slight advantage a chance.

 **Wow! Two chapters in one day! I'm on a roll with this one. I had to do a lot of research for this chapter to understand how brake bias levers work, so I hope I've got it right.**


	4. Chapter 4 - Season Launch

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 4 – Season Launch

 **Sydney Motorsport Park, Eastern Creek, 40km west of Sydney – 5** **th** **February, 2015**

"You keep staring in that mirror, it might crack," Jamie teased as he drove up behind Lightning.

"Shut up! You're just jealous because I look better than you!"

"Am not! I see you managed to keep some of your Piston Cup stickers."

"Just."

Lightning glanced in the mirrored window again. His brand new paintwork and stickers gleamed in his reflection. While he'd managed to persuade Dutto to let him keep his red basecoat, keeping some of his favourite stickers had proven to be more of a challenge. In the end, Lightning's Piston Cup Championship sticker that had been on his bonnet was moved onto his roof. It was replaced with the round Redbulldozer logo, the edge of which was surrounded by about ten centimetres of navy blue paint that faded into his red paint. He'd also been allowed to keep his racing number – 95 – which was now painted in yellow on each of his side windows, just above his name – McQueen – which was also on there. His famous flaming lightning bolts on his sides had now been repainted in yellow (for the lightning bolt) which faded into navy blue (for the flame). In place of his racing number over each of the lightning bolts was the word 'Redbulldozer'. Written across the top of his spoiler was Redbulldozer's slogan, 'Gives You Wheels'. Finally, various other sponsors stickers were plastered neatly all over him, making him look more like Craig and Jamie, in a good way. He truly looked like he belonged to the team.

"So, what are we waiting for now?" Lightning asked Jamie as he finally took his eyes off his reflection.

"Craig. He's having another discussion with Leyland."

"I wonder what's going on with him. He's been very reserved lately, and he's missed three training days."

"Don't worry about him," Jamie said assuredly. "He's probably just feeling the pressure to do better this year, since he was doing so well last year until I swooped in and snatched the Championship from him. It's been years since he won a Championship, and I guess he's starting to think that if he doesn't win another one soon, he might have to retire."

"It'd be a shame if he did," Lightning sighed. "He's a great racer and mentor."

Jamie nodded thoughtfully. "Or he could just be negotiating his contract. Anyway, it doesn't concern us, so why worry about it?"

Dutto drove over to them. "Let's go, you two. Leyland and Craig have just gone in, and they're starting in two minutes."

Lightning and Jamie followed Dutto into the adjoining room, which was set up for the team's press conference. Leyland, Craig, Grant and Davo were already in there, standing behind individual microphones. Lightning parked himself between Jamie and Dutto. He stared out at the room filled with cameras and journalists, suddenly feeling nervous. He was surprised to see so many American journalists in the room, including Kori Turbowitz.

 _What's she doing over here?_ he wondered. Seeing her smile at him, he nodded politely in her direction.

Leyland cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Thank you all for coming. I'll begin by making a few introductory remakes, and then you can ask questions. First of all, I'm pleased to announce that Jamie Win-Cup has extended his contract with us until the end of the 2018 season. Although he no longer has anything left to prove to us, we are thrilled with his loyalty and decision to stay with us. We are still in negotiations with Craig Louds over his future with us after the 2016 season. I would also like to formally welcome some new faces to our team. First, Lightning McQueen, who has signed on with us until the end of the 2016 season. He'll be racing in the Development Series this year to help him get even more familiar with the V8 Supercars format. All being well, we'll move him into the Championship Series in 2016. I know Mark Dutton is already a familiar face, but he's agreed to take on the challenging roll of team manager. He'll also be Lightning's crew chief in the Development races. David Carchi has been promoted to being Jamie's crew chief, while former Ford Performance Racing engineer, Grant McCarson will be Craig's new crew chief. We are really looking forward to the challenges these changes will bring, and hopefully, we'll end the season with another team and racer's Championship. Now, are there any questions?"

A reporter spoke up. "Craig? It's been fifteen since you last won a Racer's Championship. Do you believe that a new crew chief will help you break that drought?"

"Wow! Has it really been fifteen years?" Craig chuckled thoughtfully before he continued with his answer. "I think that it's very important to have a good working relationship with your crew chief. After all, he's the one who's constantly talking to you over the radio during a race, and he can see many things that you can't. It all comes down to trust. So far, I'm enjoying working with Grant, but we won't get an idea of how strong our teamwork is until after the first race."

Another reporter spoke up. "Jamie, do you think you can win your seventh Racer's Championship this year?"

"I didn't think I'd win it last year!" Jamie grinned, making everyone chuckle. "Honestly though, it's a long season and anything can happen. I always refuse to celebrate any Championship until after I've completed the last lap of the last race of the season."

"Ford Performance Racing, who have changed their name to Prodrive this year, and the Holden Racing Team have declared that this year they'll become a threat to Triple Eight," the same reporter stated. "Do you feel threatened by them at all?"

"Nah! They make threats like that every year. I'm not bothered by them at all."

Lightning saw Kori wave a tyre to get Leyland's attention. Leyland nodded to her.

"Lightning,' she began. "I was just wondering if you knew that Marcus Ambrose has also quit the Piston Cup to race in the V8 Supercars Championship Series."

Lightning frowned. Marcus Ambrose was a former Australian V8 Supercars racer who'd made the move to the Piston Cup in 2005. He'd never been much of a challenge to Lightning. The one and only time he'd won a Piston Cup race had been the day when Lightning had been too ill with a cold to race.

"I didn't know that, Kori, but since he's racing in the Championship, what's your point?"

"Well, why don't you race in the Championship as well instead of in the Development Series?"

Lightning glanced at Dutto for help. He was glad to answer on Lightning's behalf.

"We believe that Lightning will benefit more from being in the Development Series. It wouldn't be fair to him to push him so hard before he's had a chance to get familiar with the way things work here. But that doesn't mean we'll be taking it easy with him."

"Can you tell us anything about all the rumours that you're planning to field a four-car team next year?" another reporter asked. Everyone looked at Leyland in surprise, including Lightning, Craig and Jamie. Only Dutto didn't look surprised.

"All I can say is that at this stage, we'll be fielding a three-car team next year," Leyland replied. "Are there any more questions? Yes?"

"I've heard a rumour that Triple Eight are testing a new device that could give your racers a significant advantage. Is that true?"

"Our team is always testing new devices, just like all the other teams do," Dutto answered. "But I can assure you that everything we test has been approved for use by CAMS (Confederation of Australian Motor Sport)."

"Anyone else?" Leyland asked. The room was briefly silent. "Right, well if that's all for now, we need to get back to work. Thank you all for coming."

The press conference broke up, and the team drove out of the room. Lightning breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Good answers everyone," Leyland praised once they were out of earshot of the media. "Right, Lightning, since you have practice first thing tomorrow, I want you to go back to the hotel and rest for the remainder of the day. Craig, and Jamie? You two clowns can have the rest of the day off. Just don't get up to too much mischief."

"As if we would!" Jamie chuckled.

"I'll be watching you closely," Dutto warned.

Chuckling, Jamie hurried away. Craig was already on his phone, talking quietly to someone. Sighing, Lightning made his way towards the exit.

…

At exactly five a.m. the following morning, Lightning's alarm clock went off. Groaning sleepily, he slammed the 'off' button with his tyre before it woke Sally, who was snuggled up contently beside him. Lightning planted a gentle kiss on her cheek before settling back down to catch another forty winks.

Loud knocking woke Lightning again sometime later. Reluctantly, Lightning tossed his half of the blanket off, and he drove over to the door. It was Dutto, and he didn't look happy.

"You're late," he said shortly.

"Sorry, Dutto. I must've fallen asleep again after my alarm went off. What's the time?"

"Five forty-five. Come on. I've got your breakfast ready."

"But I'm not…" Lightning paused when Dutto shot him a determined look. "…hungry," he finished quietly. Meekly, he followed Dutto down the hallway.

By eight o'clock, Lightning was ready for his first practice session. Only the Development Series cars, V8 Utes and Carrera Cup racers would be practicing that day, leaving the next two days free for the V8 Supercars, so pit row was rather more crowded than usual. At least Triple Eight were able to keep their own garage to themselves.

Dutto watched with satisfaction as Lightning drained his last can of high performance, high protein oil. The team manager was very strict when it came to the amount of protein everyone consumed, especially on race days. It was something he monitored far better than anything else, since he'd seen the results of what happened whenever protein levels dropped.

"Satisfied?" Lightning asked as he pushed the empty can aside.

"Very."

"Good, because I am completely full now."

"Stop complaining. You'll be thanking me for this later."

Leyland entered the garage. "Morning everyone! How are we all today?"

"Good," everyone answered more-or-less in unison.

"Come on, guys! Where's the energy?"

"Still in bed," Lightning replied. He tried to stifle a yawn, but it didn't work.

"In that case, I want you to go for a drive up and down pit row a few times," Leyland instructed him firmly. "That should wake you up a bit. Oh, and if you see Paul, tell him I want to see him sometime today."

Lightning acknowledged Leyland's request with a wave of his tyre. Leaving the Triple Eight garage, he drove further up the chaotic pit row to Carlston Motorsport's garage, where he knew he'd find Paul. The Carlston pit crew members eyed him suspiciously.

"Hi guys," Lightning said. "Uh, I'm looking for Paul Drivewell. Is he around?"

"What do you want with him?" a forklift data engineer asked.

"I have a message for him from Leyland Dane."

"Oh." Glancing further into the garage, the data engineer shouted, "Paul!"

"Coming!"

Lightning smiled when he saw Paul coming towards him. Paul was Jamie's regular co-racer in the Eduro Cup. Lightning had raced against him a bit during the Enduro Cup the year before.

"Lightning!" Paul grinned when he recognised his fellow co-racer. "Wow! Look at you in your new paintjob! Pity you kept the red. Navy would look nice on you."

Lightning shook his front. "Nah! I've been red since the moment I was built. I'd feel silly in any other colour. Listen, Leyland said he wants to see you sometime today."

"Right. I'm guessing he wants to talk to me about this year's Enduro Cup. You doing that again this year?"

"I'm not sure yet, but probably not. I'll just have to wait and see what Dutto thinks. Anyway, I'd better get back."

"Yeah. Practice starts in half an hour. Good luck out there! You'll need it."

Paul returned inside the garage without giving Lightning a chance to reply.

"Huh? Wonder what he meant by that?" Lightning muttered to himself. He'd just started to turn around, when he felt his right rear fender bump into something solid.

"Hey!" a feminine voice exclaimed behind him. "Watch it!"

Lightning quickly spun around. Behind him was gorgeous black and fluoro pink V8 Supercar. She glared at him crossly.

"Sorry!" Lightning gasped. "I didn't see you there."

"Obviously! I hope you're not as blind out on the track."

Lightning scowled. Clearly, this girl had some attitude. "Gee… Are you as obnoxious to all the racers?" he shot back.

She raised herself up indignantly. "Only because you're all men. If racing was as popular for women as it is for men, you'd understand."

"Yeah, we'd see more bobcat fights instead of wall scrapes." And with that, Lightning drove away quickly, before she could find her tongue.

When Lightning returned to the Triple Eight garage, he told Leyland that he'd delivered his message to Paul. He then drove over to Dutto, who was busy analysing Lightning's performance data on the computer monitors.

"Dutto?"

"Yes, Lightning?" he answered without looking at the race car.

"Is it normal for girls to race in the Development Series?"

"Not normally, no. There's two female rookies out of a total of eleven rookies in the Development Series this year." He finally looked at Lightning and winked. "You're not classed as a rookie, even though you're new to touring car racing. You've had too much experience."

"Well, I suppose that's something anyway," Lightning muttered.

"Why did you ask?"

"I just met one of the girls. She's got some attitude about her!"

"Sounds like Renee Carcie. She's been campaigning for years to allow women to race in the V8 Supercars. I haven't yet seen her out on the track, but my advice is to stay away from her as much as possible."

"Got it. Anything else?"

"Yes. You're not to go flat out today. This is just a practice to help you get comfortable with the 'stick', and to re-familiarise yourself with the how these races are run. You must give me honest feedback about how you're handling the 'stick'. If there's something you don't like about it, you must tell me."

"I understand."

The loudspeaker crackled into life. "Five minutes until the first practice round for the Development Series racers! All other cars, please exit pit row!"

"Guess I'd better go get my racing tyres bolted on," Lightning smiled.

Dutto nodded. "I want you on hard tyres for this first session."

A few minutes later, Lightning drove back into pit row. Since the Triple Eight garage was at the end closest to the pit lane exit, Lightning would lead the rest of the Development Series racers out onto the track.

"Just remember, Lightning," Dutto said over the radio. "You're not racing anyone today. If they want to overtake you, let 'em."

"Copy that, Dutto," Lightning sighed. _It's gonna be hard to remember that order though!_ He could already feel the adrenalin coursing through his oil lines as he revved his engine eagerly.

An official waved his green flag in front of Lightning. Grinning, Lightning accelerated out onto the track, leading the rest of the field. He did his best to follow Dutto's orders and hold back. Dutto could see that, so he decided to give Lightning a taste of what he wanted.

"Pick up the pace a little, Lightning," Dutto instructed.

Lightning did so, and he drove around the first corner. The light on his new brake bias lever flashed on his dashboard, showing him that he needed to alter his brake bias to ninety percent. Lightning did so, and as he went around the second corner, he found he was able to leave his braking a bit later and exit the corner sooner. That really surprised him. Thrilled, he accelerated to racing pace.

"Oh, yeah!" Lightning exclaimed to himself. "Haha! Ka-chow!"

Dutto chuckled over the radio. "Slow down, Speedster. I realise that you're enjoying yourself out there, but we want data today, not speed."

"Sorry, Dutto, but I can't help it."

"Hold on a sec… Leyland's just told me to let you get it out of your system, so you might as well go for it."

"Yeah!" Lightning cheered. Changing up a gear, he moved up into qualifying pace. Glancing in his rear view mirror, he saw that he was already well ahead of the field. Laughing, he flew nimbly around another corner. It was amazing the difference having perfect brake adjustment could have on his speed and performance.

Twenty minutes later, the first practice session came to an end. Lightning was grinning broadly when he returned to the Triple Eight garage. So was everyone else.

"Nice work, Lightning," Leyland praised. "You set the fastest lap time for this practice session."

"Thanks, Leyland."

"Come over here, Speedster," Dutto instructed. "We need to discuss how you felt about using the 'stick'."

"Do we really need to discuss it?" Lightning asked as he joined Dutto at the computers. "I can't remember a time when I've raced with that much precision! It was like…I was glued to the tarmac going around the corners. Race cars like me can only ever _dream_ of having that much control! I didn't have any tail slides or oversteering or anything crazy like that!"

"Whoa there, Lightning!" Leyland said, realising that Lightning had barely even paused to take a breath. "Take a deep breath and settle down."

"Settle down?" Lightning panted. "I just want to get back out there!"

Leyland turned to Dutto. "Did you get the data we need?"

"Yeah. Some of it, at least."

Dutto changed the angle of one of the screens so Leyland could see it. Lightning drove over to the fridge, and he took out a can of chilled formulated oil with his name one it. He began sipping on the refreshing drink.

"I'd like to see how Lightning goes with it on soft tyres, before we install it in Craig and Jamie," Leyland decided. He glanced at Lightning in his rear-view mirrors. "Lightning…? Don't drink too much, or you'll give yourself a stitch. You've got your second practice in an hour."

Lightning sheepishly pushed the remainder of his drink aside.

 **Thank you so much for your reviews! I'm so glad you're enjoying this sequel too.**


	5. Chapter 5 - Craig's Secret

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 5 – Craig's Secret

 **Sydney Motorsport Park, Eastern Creek, 40km west of Sydney – 6** **th** **February, 2015**

Grinning with satisfaction, Lightning returned to the Redbulldozer pit having successfully completed his second and final practice session for the day. He'd done well, but since he wasn't used to racing on soft tyres, he'd only been able to post a fifth fastest time. But that didn't matter. He felt great, and from the smiles he received when he drove into the garage, everyone else was happy with his performance too.

"Now you see why I had you fill up with protein oil this morning," Dutto remarked as he began taking screen shots from the data screens.

"I'll never complain about that again, Dutto," Lightning said.

"Uh, huh. Sure you won't."

At that moment, six officials – four cars and two forklifts – drove into the garage.

"Nobody's to leave this garage until I say so," one of the cars ordered. "Leyland Dane?"

"I'm right here," Leyland replied as he drove over to the officials.

Dutto glanced at Lightning, who'd frozen in place. The look in his eyes was one of sheer worry. "For goodness, sakes, breathe kid!"

Lightning promptly did so. "Sorry. Ever since the Piston Cup officials were charged with corruption, I kinda get nervous around them. Not quite sure who to trust anymore, you know what I mean?"

"That's understandable. But these spot checks are fairly routine, and they're also rather regular, although we never know when they're going to happen. Surely, you had random pit checks in the Piston Cup?"

"Very rarely. I mean, we had regular fuel tests and things like that, but the officials rarely bothered us in the pits."

"Well, just carry on with what you were doing. If they want to talk to you, they will.'

Lightning cast a nervous glance at the officials, who were looking through some paperwork with Leyland. Then he turned his attention back to Dutto. "So, where were we?"

"I'm going to print out this data so you can look at it later. But I think you already know what you need to work on."

"Soft tyres," Lightning answered.

Dutto nodded. "I'll get you to use them in your daily training sessions on the rolling road. That should help you get comfortable with the feel of them. We'll discuss the 'stick' later, but Leyland and I have decided to install them in Craig and Jamie later this evening. It should only take them a few hours to recover from it, so they should be right for their first practice tomorrow."

"I'll be they'll be pleased about that," Lightning said sarcastically.

"Lightning?" Leyland called.

Gulping nervously, Lightning drove over to him and the officials. "Yes, Leyland?"

"It seems that some of the other teams have been complaining about the pace you set this morning. They think that you have an illegal advantage because of your Jaguar Syndrome."

"But I don't!" Lightning protested. "The speed limiter stops me from being able to use my top speed."

"Please, let me finish," Leyland growled. "We all know that you can't reach your top speed while your speed limiter is connected. The officials are here just to make a formal report, that's all. If the officials give us the 'all clear', the other teams will have to stop complaining."

"Oh. I see."

"If you don't mind, Mr McQueen, we'd just like to ensure that your speed limiter is properly connected, and we'll also conduct a fuel test with the track doctor," the first official said. He turned to Leyland. "We'll also conduct a random search of your garage and pit crew. I don't expect to find anything illegal here since you've always raced clean, but it'll stop the other teams from complaining that we didn't conduct a thorough investigation."

Leyland nodded his approval, and the other officials began conducting their search. The first official turned his attention back to Lightning.

"Open your bonnet for me, please."

Lightning did so. He knew better than to argue with an official. The official spent several minutes examining the wires and plugs connecting Lightning's temporary speed limiter to his engine.

"Right, thanks, Mr McQueen. You can close your bonnet now. That all checks out fine." He looked up at the other officials, who were just finishing their search. "Find anything?"

They all replied that they hadn't. The first official filled out his report. Lightning glanced nervously at Leyland.

"Relax, Lightning," he soothed. "We think that the other teams are just picking on you because you're American."

"Why?"

"Because traditionally, the V8 Supercars is an Australian and New Zealand racing code," one of the other officials explained. "The only time we see international racers on our tracks is during the Enduro Cup. You're pretty much the first full-time international racer in the Series, and while we do allow that, it does make you a target. You'll find they'll back off a bit once you've sorted out your permanent residency."

"That shouldn't take much longer," Lightning replied. "My fiancée and I have sent in all the forms. We're now just waiting to hear back from the authorities."

"I don't see why they'd reject it," the first official said, smiling. "Right, we're done here. You'll see our findings in the CAMS report later today. Please come with me, Mr McQueen."

Lightning reluctantly followed the official out of the garage. The official led him to the track doctor's office.

"I've brought Mr McQueen," the official told the track doctor.

"Good. I gather you've had fuel tests before?" the track doctor said to Lightning as he prepared the equipment he needed.

"Yes, but they nearly always make me feel sick."

"Thanks for the warning." He turned to the official. "You staying to watch?"

"Of course. CAMS requirement. Let's get on with this."

Knowing exactly what was about to happen, Lightning closed his eyes tightly. He felt the track doctor place a long tube inside his tank.

 _At least he's being gentle_ , Lightning thought. He dry retched when he heard his fuel being siphoned out of his tank into a test tube.

Fifteen minutes later, Lightning returned to the Redbulldozer pit. He shuddered as he parked beside Dutto.

"Urgh! I HATE fuel tests!"

"Join the club," Dutto chuckled. "At least I don't have to have them as often as you racers do."

"How often do you have them?"

"Once a year, when I have my medical. Anyway, I think we're done here for today. You can head on back to the hotel. I've got to go and talk to Dr Andrews about Craig and Jamie. Oh, and don't forget to take your data with you, kid."

"Thanks. But I'm not a kid."

"You're twenty-seven, right?"

"Yeah."

"That makes you a kid in my books. I still call Jamie a kid, and he's thirty-four."

"Betcha don't call Craig a kid."

"Get!"

Lightning chuckled. "Can I sleep in tomorrow?"

"Yup! You've more than earned it."

"Sweet! Thanks. I'll see you later."

…

Later that evening, at about nine o'clock, Lightning was heading towards his hotel room, when he saw Craig parked out on that level's common balcony. He wasn't moving. Lightning drove over to him.

"Hey."

Craig turned around. "Oh. It's you."

"Have you had your 'stick' installed yet?"

"Yeah. It's still numb though. Jamie's having his installed as we speak."

Lightning nodded slowly. "Are you okay?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"I just wondered, since you've missed three training days for 'personal reasons', and you've barely been off your phone since we arrived here."

Looking back over the balcony, Craig sighed despondently. "Dutto told me that you were very impressive in practice today."

"I wouldn't go that far…"

"I would. First and fifth fastest times in your first practice sessions is very good."

"Yeah, I guess…"

There was silence between them for a moment. Then Craig sighed again.

"Argh! There's no point in keeping this from you. I might as well tell you what's going on with me before you find out from someone else."

Lightning moved a bit closer to him, so he wouldn't have to talk so loudly. "I'm listening."

Tears pricked Craig's eyes. Lightning waited patiently.

"My wife's left me!" Craig finally exclaimed. "She took our kids, and left."

"Why?"

"We had a fight the night we arrived back from Abu Dhabi. She accused me of not spending enough time with her and the kids. It guess I didn't do the right thing by shouting at her, and I'm ashamed to say that we frightened the kids. The next morning, she took the kids and left while I was still asleep. I awoke to find a note on the kitchen table, and nothing to say where she'd gone. I spent the entire day trying to phone her and our extended family, but she didn't answer and they had no idea where she was. I couldn't sleep all night, and first thing in the morning, I phoned my lawyer. After that, I phoned Leyland to tell him why I wouldn't be able to come in for training. He was shocked, of course, since like everyone else, he always believed that my wife and I were perfectly happy. I arranged to meet him, Dutto and Grant at headquarters that night, when I knew you, Jamie and the rest of the team wouldn't be around. They agreed not to say anything about it, and Leyland decided not to pressure me into extending my contract until I'd sorted everything out. He also offered to give me some time off, but I refused, since racing takes my mind off it."

Tears were rolling down Craig's fenders by the time he'd finished speaking. Lightning was shocked. For a moment, he had no idea what to say. He just sat silently, processing the information.

"So… Where is she now?" he finally ventured.

"My lawyer finally managed to contact her today, which is why I've been on the phone so much. She's staying at a friend's place while she decides what to do." Craig sighed heavily. "I just wish I could speak to her and tell her that I'm sorry! She's refusing to speak to me though. But more than anything else, I just want to hug my kids."

Craig's tears turned into heavy sobs. Lightning didn't know what to do. He wasn't exactly comfortable with hugging other men, so he just waited quietly. After several minutes, Craig's tears finally slowed.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to cry like that."

"It's okay. Doc used to say that crying was good for us men, and we should do it more often."

Craig chuckled through his tears. "You still miss him, don't you?"

Lightning nodded. "I don't know what he would've said about me racing here in the V8s."

Craig looked kindly at Lightning. "I think he'd be very proud of you. After all, most racers never change racing codes."

"Yeah, I guess. Would you?"

"Nah! I do occasionally dabble in twenty-four hour races like Le Mans, but I find them too exhausting – mentally and physically. The Piston Cup doesn't interest me either. Especially since Marcus went over there to get away from me."

Lightning was surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Back in 2004, Marcus and I had a major altercation during one of the last races of the season. I was on track for claiming the Championship, but then on the second last corner of the second last lap, he rammed me from behind, sending me into the dirt. I managed to get back onto the track, but I'd lost so much ground that I ended up losing the Championship. He ended up with it, despite my team's protests. Triple Eight didn't exist back then, and disgusted with my boss' weakness, I decided to leave. I probably would've retired then and there if it hadn't been for Peter Brock and Leyland. Leyland had been at the track that day, looking for potential racers for his new team. I'm sure you can imagine the rest."

"I take it that you're not pleased about Marcus' return then?" Lightning sighed.

"None of us are. Ideally, he should be racing in the Development Series with you, but the officials said that since he already holds two Championships, they can't stop him from racing in the Championship Series if he really wants to. He's got a reputation for being a rough racer."

"Funny, he was never rough when I raced against him in the Piston Cup."

"Maybe he found it too overwhelming to cause you any trouble."

Someone coughed behind them. Turning, they saw Leyland standing in the doorway. He held up a piece of paper with his tyre.

"CAMS report," he said simply.

"Nothing bad, I hope," Craig said.

Leyland shook his front. "No." He read the significant information aloud. "'After practice round two, six CAMS officials carried out a random spot check on the Triple Eight Race Engineering's team garage. No illicit substances were found. Car number ninety-five, Lightning McQueen, had his speed recorder examined for tampering, and all was found to be intact. He was then taken for a fuel test, which came back negative. All teams who protested, both officially and unofficially, have been warned not to make further accusations without solid evidence'."

"That should get them off your exhaust-pipes from now on, Speedster," Craig chuckled. "Well, I guess I'd better turn in. Gotta be up at the crack of dawn, or I'll have Grant beating down my door. Thanks for listening, Lightning."

"Your welcome," Lightning smiled as Craig drove away towards his hotel room.

Leyland stared at Lightning. "Craig told you, did he?"

Lightning nodded slowly. Leyland sighed.

"Don't tell Jamie. Or anyone else. This will be hard enough for Craig without the media finding out."

"I completely understand, and I promise not to say anything about it to anyone."

"Good. Oh, and I'd like to see you spend some time watching Craig and Jamie practice over the next two days. You might learn some things, and we might need you to help them adjust to their new 'sticks'."

"I'll do my best to be there," Lightning promised. "'Night."

"Goodnight."

Lightning drove to his hotel room. Sally was already in bed, reading.

"You took your time," she admonished. "What kept you? Team meeting?"

"Actually, I was talking to Craig," Lightning replied as he sank down beside her. He pulled the blanket over himself. "He got me thinking about some things."

"Such as?"

Lightning sighed sleepily. "Oh, never mind now. It's late, and I'm tired. Goodnight, beautiful."

"Goodnight, Stickers," Sally replied as she put her book away. She was just about to switch the lights off, when she noticed that Lightning had already fallen asleep. Smiling fondly at him, she planted a gentle kiss on his fender. Lightning moaned contently in his sleep.


	6. Chapter 6 - Homesickness

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 6 – Homesickness

 **Lightning and Sally's rented property, Kallangur, 31kms north of Brisbane – February 2015**

"Ow!" Lightning yelped as he accidentally stabbed himself in the tyre with the barbwire for a third time. He shook his tyre vigorously to stop the pain. "Lucky they're my off-road tyres," he muttered angrily to himself.

The day before, some of the neighbour's tractors had broken through the plain wire fence and had gone trampling through the paddocks of their rented property, tearing up a lot of the grass. Now Lightning was extremely grateful to Mater for teaching him how to deal with tractors. Their neighbour was elderly, so tractor herding was a bit beyond him. That meant that Lightning had had to round all the tractors up by himself and herd them back through the hole in the fence. Once he'd done that, he'd temporarily patched up the hole with plain wire. However, after discussing the situation with Sally, they'd decided to rewire the all the perimeter fences using barbwire. Their landlord agreed with the change, and had delivered several rolls of barbwire to the property that morning.

Now, Lightning was busy rewiring all the fences. He didn't mind the work, since there wasn't much else he needed to do. It was a rest day, which meant there was no formal training at the Triple Eight team headquarters. That was something Leyland insisted on. He felt that everyone on the team should spend as much time with their families as they could during the off-season. It was only fair considering how little time their families got to spend with them the rest of the year.

Lightning had already followed Dutto's orders of driving for a hundred kilometres at his restricted full speed of three hundred kilometres an hour on the rolling road that Leyland had arranged for him to use at home. It was an extremely precise machine for Lightning to train on, and it even sent live data straight to Dutto's laptop. But that also meant that Lightning couldn't get away with not training for a day, because Dutto would know at once if he didn't.

Lightning sighed tiredly. It was a hot day, and the sun was beating down on him relentlessly. Desperately needing a drink, he finished the section of fence he was working on. Then, leaving his tools where they were, he drove up the dirt road towards the house.

The house was refreshingly cool compared with outside, thanks largely to the air conditioning. "Sally?" Lightning called. Receiving no answer, he went into the kitchen and he grabbed a can of oil out of the fridge.

A moment later, Sally entered the house. "Oh! Lightning!" she exclaimed with an air of annoyance.

"What?" Lightning asked innocently.

"Look at all the dirt you've traipsed through the house! I only just finished cleaning up all the dirt you brought in here yesterday!"

"Sorry, beautiful."

"Huh! Flattery will get you nowhere!"

Lightning decided to change the subject. "Where were you?"

"I just went to collect the mail from the front gate." Sally tossed it onto the bench. "It's mostly junk mail and the local newspaper."

Lightning began sorting through everything. "I kinda miss all the fan mail," he said with a wink.

"No, you don't! You used to complain about that all the time. And you never got to read most of it."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just teasing you. It's the price of fame, I guess. Hold on. There's a letter here."

"Oh? Who's it from?"

"The Australian government. It's rather thick too."

"Must be about our permanent residency," Sally muttered. She looked at Lightning expectedly. "Well? What are you waiting for? Aren't you going to open it?"

"I suppose I'd better," Lightning sighed. He did, and he found several letters and documents inside the envelope. He read the top letter silently to himself.

"Well?" Sally said impatiently.

Lightning grinned. "We got it!"

"Yes!" Sally screeched, and the happy couple hugged each other. "Oh, I'm so relieved! How long does the permanent residency last?"

"Five years," Lightning replied, reading the letter again. "Which means it'll be easier for me to come back here to race if I want to. At least we can now live and work here without having to bother about applying for visas and things. I'd better ring Leyland and let him know the good news."

"What about everyone back home?" Sally asked.

Lightning glanced at the clock. "Not yet. It's the middle of the night over there."

"Oh, yeah. Remind me to phone them after dinner."

"I'd rather phone them," Lightning said as he began dialling Leyland's number. "I haven't spoken to my mother for a while." He paused as Leyland answered his phone. "Hey, Leyland. It's Lightning. I've just received some good news…"

…

Later that evening, after dinner, Lightning phoned his mother, Elinor Hornet, while Sally was watching TV. Since he was on his mobile phone, Lightning went out onto the veranda to talk.

"Hey sweetie," Elinor said as she answered.

Lightning groaned. "Mum, please don't call me that! I'm not a kid anymore."

"Sorry. How are you and Sally settling in?"

"It's been great. The house is still a little bare, but considering the amount of shopping Sally's been doing lately, I'm expecting to see a house full of furniture and a big dent in my savings account very soon."

Elinor chuckled. "I seriously doubt that even Sally's spending sprees will be enough to create even a tiny dent in your funds. How much are you worth now?"

"I've lost track," Lightning chuckled. "See, I don't just get money from racing now. My own name is an even bigger brand, and that pulls in millions in royalties. I get Sally to manage all my finances now. She's better at figures than I am."

"Speaking of Sally, have you set the actual date for your wedding yet?"

"Err… Kind of."

"What do you mean, 'kind of'?"

"Well, we've settled on a late May wedding, when I get a few weeks break from racing. If we have it here in Queensland, it won't be too cold. I can't believe they don't get snow here in winter! At least, they don't this far north."

"Oh, that's right! May's late spring in Australia, right?"

"Yeah,' Lightning chuckled. "It's going to be weird having Christmas in summer. Apparently, they use plastic Christmas trees!"

"You're joking!"

"I swear I'm not! But that's not why I rang."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Sal and I received a letter from the Australian government today. About our permanent residency…"

"And…?"

Lightning paused dramatically. "We got it!"

"Yeah!" Elinor cheered. She must've been where everyone could hear her, because Lightning heard her say loudly, "Hey, everyone! Lightning and Sally got their permanent residency in Australia!"

Lightning chuckled when he heard all his friends cheering in the distance. "Hey, mum? Where are you?"

"Wheel Well."

"Oh."

"I'm going to put you onto loudspeaker, okay? Everyone wants to talk to you and Sally."

"Sally's inside right now," Lightning said. He could hear his voice get a bit louder as Elinor switched her phone to loudspeaker.

"What was that?"

"I said that Sally's inside right now," Lightning repeated. "I'm outside, getting eaten alive by Bugs. Ow!"

"But, Bugs are harmless," Elinor pointed out.

"Not the Australian ones! They're at least twice the size of the ones back home."

"Hey, buddy!" Mater called. "Wish I was there Downunder withs ya an' Miss Sally."

"I know, Mater. But don't worry. You'll be here for our wedding in a few months. Ow! I'm going to have to go back inside. These Bugs are nasty!"

At that moment, Sally appeared at Lightning's side, and she began spraying him all over with an aerosol.

"Hey!" Lightning exclaimed. "What is that stuff, Sal?"

"Bug-Guard," she replied. "It'll stop them biting you. Keep still, or you'll get some in your eyes."

"Hey, Miss Sally!" Mater shouted through the phone.

"Hey, Mater," Sally replied, smiling. "Have you been keeping out of mischief?"

"Nup!"

Lightning chuckled. He could easily imagine Mater pulling a dorky face as he said that.

"Yesterday, he put a Whoopi cushion underneath Sherriff just as he collapsed onto his chassis at my café," Flo said.

"Hey!" Sherriff hollered as everyone burst out laughing. "You all promised you wouldn't say anything about that!"

"Okay, guys," Sally said. "I hate to break this up now, but Lightning needs to go to bed, or he'll oversleep, and then he'll be late for training in the morning."

"Spoilsport," Lightning muttered, grinning. Then, into the phone he said, "Sorry, guys, but I'd better listen to my fiancée. Bye!"

"Bye!" everyone said in unison. Lightning hung up the phone with a heavy sigh. Sally snuggled up to him.

"What's wrong, Stickers?"

"Nothing. Guess I'm just feeling a bit homesick."

"Me too. Never mind. We can be homesick together."

"Sal?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you really want me to keep racing after we get married?"

Sally was surprised. "Of course I do! I mean, I do believe that racing is dangerous, but every job has its risks, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"You're doing what you love, and that's all I want to see you doing. It wouldn't be right for you to quit because of me."

"Even if I had a bad accident?"

"What's all this leading to, Lightning?"

"Nothing. It's just that… Oh, never mind…"

"Tell me. Please. Or I'll tickle you to death!"

Lightning chuckled. "I'd like to see you explain that to the coroner…"

Sally pointed inside the house with her tyre. "Bed! Now!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Lightning teased.

He darted inside the house as she leapt towards him. Laughing and giggling, they dodged each other's swipes as they drove throughout the house, switching off all the lights. Finally, they collapsed onto the bed together, still laughing.

"I love you, Sally Carrera," Lightning whispered as they finally settled down.

"I love you too, Lightning McQueen."


	7. Chapter 7 - Day 1 at the Adelaide 500

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 7 - Day 1 at the Adelaide 500

 **Adelaide 500 Day 1 – Adelaide Street Circuit, Adelaide, South Australia – 26** **th** **February, 2015**

 _Okay, here we go…_ Lightning thought as he listened to the Development Series rookies racing around the tight Adelaide street circuit. It was only twenty minutes past eight in the morning, and the rookies were the first racers to test out the track. Dutto had woken Lightning, Jamie and Craig at five-thirty, so they could go for the team's track drive shortly after dawn.

One thing really concerned Lightning about this track. One of the rules was that if more than two tyres went over the yellow lines on the kerb at turn two, you'd be given an official warning. If it occurred more than four times during a race, you'd receive a pit lane penalty. If the same thing happened during qualifying, you'd be disqualified. Lightning had never raced on a track that had that as a rule, so it made him nervous. Turn eight was also a major concern for him. It was a fast sweeper just before Peter Brock Straight, which had an average top speed of 251 kilometres an hour, surrounded by solid concrete walls. There was no room for any errors there. Lightning had felt sick when Jamie told him that someone had been killed there during a support race a few years earlier.

Now, Lightning was just going through the final preparations for his first practice session on the track. He felt ready, but he also felt sick with nerves. He didn't want to let anyone down, especially Dutto.

"I hope you've had all the protein oil I told you to have," Dutto said as he cast his experienced eyes over Lightning. He could tell at once if something was amiss with any of the racers, but Lightning looked pretty good. Nervous, but good.

"Yes, Dutto," Lightning replied quietly.

"What's got you so nervous?"

"How'd you know I was nervous?"

"Experience. Let me guess. It's Jamie's comment about the racer who was killed here, right?"

"Yeah."

"Don't worry. The track's had some improvements since then. Jamie might be a teammate, but he does like to stir. Relax. You can do this."

"Dutto, I've _never_ been on a street circuit as tight as this one! Even the courses in the World Grand Prix weren't as narrow as this!"

Dutto parked himself firmly in front of Lightning. For the first time since he'd met Lightning, he saw genuine fear in his eyes. He softened slightly and he leaned in a bit closer. It was time for some tough love. "Then quit!" he whispered.

Lightning gulped, and Dutto knew that his subtle message had struck the right place. Lightning took a deep breath to try and calm himself.

"All Development Series racers please make your way into pit lane, now!" an official called out as he drove past.

Gritting his teeth, Lightning started his engine, revving it aggressively. Dutto smiled. That trick always worked. Once Lightning had driven out of the garage, Dutto joined Leyland in front of the monitors.

"Radio check. Can you hear me, Lightning?"

"Yes," Lightning replied. Since Tripe Eight had their pit garage right next to the pit row exit, Lightning would be the first car out onto the track, just like he'd been first out in Sydney. He'd have to get used to that, since Tripe Eight always had their garage in the same number one position in the pits at every racetrack.

Lightning watched the official wave his green flag, signalling the start of the first practice session. Lightning accelerated up to an acceptable pace. He didn't want to go too fast until he'd gotten the overall feel of the track. Surprisingly, most of the other racers seemed to be doing the exact same thing.

"Great work, Lightning," Dutto told him as he found his way cleanly around turn eight. "We'll focus on precision for now. Don't be afraid to attack the apexes. This track is designed to be hard on your suspension, so don't worry if it starts hurting after a while. Everyone will feel the same way by the end of this."

"Copy that," Lightning replied.

They were barely six minutes into the practice session, when it ended abruptly. Lightning was just rounding turn four when he saw trackside officials waving red flags.

"Red flag, red flag," Dutto told Lightning. "Come into the pits on this lap."

"What happened?" Lightning asked.

"Rookie Jamie Sharp went into the tyre wall on turn two," Dutto explained. "The officials have decided to suspend the practice session for now. You need to come into pit row, but stay in the lane. There'll be an official here to tell you what to do."

 _Bummer!_ Lightning thought as he slowed right down. He'd just begun getting comfortable with the track too. He led the rest of the field down pit row where, sure enough, several officials were already waiting to marshal the racers. Lightning stopped where he was told, but he left his engine running so he'd be warmed up and ready to go at a moment's notice.

"Sorry about that, Lightning," Leyland said, driving over to him. "The race officials just want to check that corner, to make sure everything's okay. Plus, they need to give the tow truck room to get Sharp out. He's stuck fast."

"Probably loosened a few teeth too," Dutto muttered over the radio, making Lightning chuckle. Leyland glared at Lightning.

"Care to share the joke?"

"Ask Dutto," Lightning replied, winking.

Shaking his front, Leyland returned inside the team's garage. Looking ahead to turn two, which was in the middle of the chicane, Lightning could see Jamie Sharp being pulled out of the tyre wall. The unfortunate rookie was complaining loudly.

Once the officials had repaired the tyre wall, and ensured that the track hadn't been damaged, the racers were given the 'all clear'. Still leading the field, Lightning fell in behind the safety car, who led the racers around for one lap.

"Get ready to go, Speedster," Dutto said when he saw the safety car peel off and return to the pits. As Lightning came out of the hairpin turn, he saw the starter waving the green flag. The moment Lightning passed over the start/finish line, he accelerated up to a fast, but respectable practice speed.

The rest of the practice went without incident. Owing to the time limitations caused by the accident, the racers were only able to complete twelve laps overall. Lightning had grown in confidence by the time he'd completed his tenth lap.

"Would you like to go for a fast lap?" Dutto asked him.

"Sure! Why not?"

"Okay, when you cross over the start/finish line again, put your headlights on and go for it."

"Copy that." In the V8 Supercars, it was an unofficial rule that racers who had their headlights on were doing a fast lap. It was polite for racers to give way to those who had their headlights on. The officials didn't mind, since it was a good way to help prevent collisions.

Gritting his teeth with determination, Lightning waited until he was only a few metres away from the start/finish line before he turned his headlights on and floored it. Paul, who'd been behind him, was surprised to see Lightning accelerating away from him.

"Oh, no you don't!" he muttered as he also turned his headlights on and accelerated. Most of the other racers followed suite.

As Lightning tore down Peter Brock Straight at almost 250 kilometres an hour, he double checked the settings on his brake bias lever. In that moment, he realised that that tiny little device was the only thing that could make all the difference between a fast lap, or a disastrous crash. He could see turn eight rapidly approaching. Leaving it as late as he dared, he braked ever so slightly, and turned. For a terrifying split second, he was certain that he'd side-swipe the wall. There was a loud 'crack!' followed by a clutter as his left-hand rear-view mirror broke and came off as it hit the concrete wall, but Lightning could live with that. They were only temporary rear-view mirrors, held on by suction caps. The incident didn't hurt him whatsoever, and he continued around the rest of the course. He wasn't sure, but he thought he heard Dutto breathe a sigh of relief over the radio.

Less than thirty seconds later, Lightning flew down the home straight. The small crowd in the grandstands cheered and applauded.

"Brilliant work, Lightning!" Dutto told him as Lightning decelerated and switched off his headlights. "We just need to wait for the rest of the field to finish, but you've currently got the fastest time!"

"Yes!" Lightning exclaimed, panting heavily.

"I must say, you gave me a real scare at turn eight!"

Lightning cringed. "Sorry."

"Hey, don't apologise for that. Rear-view mirrors fall off all the time around here. But if you must apologise to someone, apologise to Leyland. He almost bit his lower lip off!"

Lightning chuckled. He was feeling much better now, and very comfortable with the course.

"When's my next practice?" Lightning asked once he'd returned to the Redbulldozer Racing garage. One of the pit crew members was removing what was left of his rear-view mirror.

"Not until twelve-twenty," Dutto replied. "It'll go for half an hour."

"We have the team meeting at ten," Leyland reminded him, ignoring Lightning. Dutto nodded. His computer beeped, and he looked at it. Lightning flinched as his new rear-view mirror was secured into position. It didn't hurt; it was just cold.

"I've just received the official times for the first practice," Dutto told Leyland.

"How did Lightning go?"

"He's still on top with a time of one minute, twenty-three point three-four-four-seven seconds. Paul was a tenth of a second behind him."

Leyland looked at Lightning. "Not bad… I hope you do much better in your next practice."

Lightning sighed despondently as Leyland drove away. "Permission to have a drink, Dutto?" he asked wearily.

At Dutto's nod, Lightning went over to the fridge.

…

As usual, Lightning found the team meeting boring. So did Jamie and, to a point, Craig. Especially since the majority of what Leyland said was aimed at the pit crew and crew chiefs. The three racers were parked together at the back of the garage, with Jamie in between Craig and Lightning. Jamie chewed loudly on a wad of gum throughout the whole meeting, much to Leyland's annoyance. Afterwards, he took Jamie aside and made him spit the gum into a bin. Jamie returned to the garage thoroughly chastened. Lightning later found out that Leyland had decided to fine Jamie a hundred dollars for disrupting the meeting. He disappeared from the garage a short time later. Dutto said that Jamie was just restless and keen to hit the track. Lightning easily understood that, but it still didn't excuse Jamie's rude behaviour.

"How are you, Craig?" Lightning asked him kindly as he drove over to the older racer.

"Tired and stressed," he replied, sighing. "My lawyer says that my wife wants to make our separation official. We've been referred to a marriage guidance counsellor. We're seeing him next week."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Craig sighed sadly. "Thanks. I just wish I could be with my kids again. At least being here and racing is a welcome distraction."

"Yeah, I guess… Is there anything I can do to help?"

Craig cast Lightning a small smile. "Just stay faithful to Sally. Seeing you happy with her gives me hope that I might be able to restore my own marriage. Anyway, I hope you do well in your second practice. I'll be watching you and cheering you on."

"Thanks."

"Ready to go, Lightning?" Dutto asked, driving past him and Craig.

"Yup! Let's do this."

…

The second practice session went really well for Lightning. He managed to stay clear of all the drama happening behind him. Watching the replay later, he found out that Garry Jacobson had locked up his rear wheels during the second lap, and had gone straight into the tyre wall at turn ten. He'd managed to get back onto the track, but the collision had been enough for his crew chief to order him into the pits, resulting in his retirement from the practice so he could be checked out by the track doctor. Then, on lap six, Aaron McSkill and Brett Hobson ended up colliding with each other on turn seven. Unfortunately, the trackside cameras missed the collision, so the officials had to rely on the cameras mounted on the two racers themselves to work out who was to blame. Lightning never found out who'd been at fault, but Aaron's rear end had slammed into a concrete wall, damaging it enough to warrant some intense medical treatment after the practice session. That incident caused another red flag. Lightning hated having to return to pit row right when his engine and tyres had come up to the prefect racing temperature, but he didn't have any other choice. It reminded him of what happened during the Enduro Cup at the Bathurst 1000 the previous year. He, and the rest of the racers, been forced to wait on the grid for over an hour while the officials had a small section of tarmac repaired. It was lucky that had occurred though, because Lightning had unknowingly ruptured a vital oil line during an earlier collision with a wall. He could've bled to death had it not been noticed in time.

Once the racers were allowed back out onto the track, Lightning focussed on his speed. It paid off in the end, because he ended the practice session with the fastest time again.

"One minute, twenty-two point oh-nine-eight-four seconds," Dutto read out from the official times after Lightning had returned to the garage. "You're the only one who broke the one minute twenty-three second mark."

"That's a bit better," Leyland said, frowning. "For qualifying, I want to see you in the low twenty-ones…"

Lightning rolled his eyes, and he turned to Craig. "Is he _never_ satisfied?"

"Only if things go the way he wants. Never mind about him. We've got a few hours before your qualifying round. Want to go find Sally and Jamie, and get some lunch together?"

"Sure. If Dutto will let me."

Dutto looked up at them. "Go ahead. Just make sure Lightning's back here by three-thirty. His qualifying is at a quarter past four."

"Will do!" Craig called as he and Lightning left the garage.

…

"Nervous?" Dutto asked Lightning as he watched the racer being prepared for his qualifying round by the pit crew a few hours later.

"A bit," Lightning confessed. "To be honest, I just want to have a nice, clean run this time."

"Just as long as you combine that with speed," Leyland reminded him.

Lightning ignored him. "Must I use the soft tyres? I'm still not really comfortable with them."

"They are faster than hard tyres," Craig told him. "The only problem is that they tend to disintegrate faster. Try not to wear them out too much, and then you'll be able to reuse them in your races tomorrow."

"Thank you, Craig," Dutto interjected. "I was just about to explain that to him." He turned to the pit crew. "Have you topped up his fuel?"

One of them nodded. "His tank's completely full."

"Yeah, and I can feel it too," Lightning muttered.

Dutto pulled on his headset. "Can you hear me, Lightning?"

"Loud and clear."

"Good. You'd better get out there now. Good luck."

Nodding, Lightning drove out of the garage, and he took his now familiar position at the pit row exit.

"Okay, focus…" he whispered to himself as he began to visualise the racetrack in his mind's eye. "Fifteen turns. Three significant straights. Chicane; four ninety degree turns going right, left, right and right again; terrible turn eight; Peter Brock Straight; Brabham Straight; apex turn nine; gentle corners; the hairpin and, finally, the home straight. Speed. I. Am. Speed…"

The green flag waved in front of Lightning, and he promptly accelerated onto the track. The chicane really shook him around the first time he passed it, and upon landing off the final apex of the chicane, his shock absorbers began to ache.

"We might have to loosen your shock absorbers before your first race tomorrow," Dutto told him over the radio.

"How did you know they were bothering me?"

"Easy. I can see everything on my monitors. You're looking really good though."

"Thanks, Dutto."

Lightning returned his attention to the track. He desperately wanted to break the one minute, twenty second mark to keep Leyland happy. However, a yellow flag on the second lap temporarily put a stop to his sprint.

"Who caused that?" Lightning demanded to know as he slowed down.

"Chelsea, the other female rookie," Dutto replied. "She's okay. She just went for a spin. They'll be going green again in a minute. Just hang in there."

Sure enough, the green flag was waved as Lightning completed the lap. He accelerated again, hoping to put in a really fast lap before something else happened.

Luckily, the rest of the qualifying round was incident free, and Lightning was able to post some decent times. His final lap time was the fastest though - 1:21.6959.

Back in the garage, Lightning was staring in disbelief at the monitor that was displaying the lap times, when Craig parked beside him.

"You did great, Speedster!" he said encouragingly.

"Really? I was aiming to break one minute twenty…"

"Lightning McQueen! Even _I_ can't break one minute twenty! Jamie holds the track record for V8 Supercars! He set it back in 2012. From memory, it was a very low one-twenty-one."

"Craig's right," Leyland said, driving over. "You were only six-tenths of a second slower than Jamie's record."

Lightning's jaw dropped in astonishment. "Leyland!" was all he managed to say.

Leyland chuckled. "Well, I had to figure out a way to get you to go faster and boost your confidence. And I must say that it was very effective. I know this isn't the kind of racing you're used to, but if I keep pushing you like that, we might see some track records being broken by you soon."

For once, Lightning was left completely speechless!

 **Wow! Long chapter... I think the racing chapters will be the longest. There was a lot of information to go through to ensure that this is correctly based on what really happened. Watching replays of the practice sessions for the V8 Supercars Dunlop Development Series at the Clipsal Adelaide 500 has been fun. Lightning's times are the same as Cameron Water's who is the current Dunlop Development Series leader (hint! hint!). Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8 - Day 2 at the Adelaide 500 p1

Chapter 8 – Day 2 at the Adelaide 500 – Part 1

 **Adelaide 500 Day 2 – Adelaide Street Circuit, Adelaide, South Australia – 27** **th** **February, 2015**

Despite being a race day for Lightning, Dutto and Leyland let him sleep in. That was because his race wasn't until five-forty that evening. Despite that, he was still expected to be at the racetrack by nine o'clock, so he could watch Craig and Jamie go through their practice rounds. They had three practices and two qualifying sessions before Lightning's race, which was the last event on the day's program.

Sally stirred beside Lightning, as she slowly woke up. Lightning nuzzled her fender, moaning happily. She blinked open her beautiful baby blue eyes.

"Mmm… Morning Stickers."

"Morning beautiful."

"Shouldn't you be heading to the racetrack?"

"Not yet. I'm just going to enjoy being with you for now. And I don't care if I'm late either." Lightning began stroking Sally's side with his tyre.

"Lightning! Stop it! That tickles!" Sally laughed.

"Oohh! Have I found your ticklish spot?"

"No! Lightning! Please, stop!"

Moments later, tears of laughter were pouring from Sally's eyes as Lightning continued to tickle her. She finally got out of bed, and drove quickly out of the bedroom to get away from him.

"You'll pay for that, Lightning Blaze McQueen!" she told him.

Chuckling, Lightning also got up. "You'll have to catch me first!" he challenged.

…

Shortly before nine o'clock, Lightning drove inside the Redbulldozer Racing team garage. Craig and Jamie were in pit row, preparing to drive out onto the track, along with the rest of the racers.

"Glad you found the time to join us, Speedster," Leyland said. "I suppose once you're married it'll be harder for you to tear yourself away from that gorgeous Porsche of yours."

"She's not _my_ Porsche," Lightning muttered.

Dutto placed a headset over Lightning's head. "Time for you to listen in, kid."

"Thanks. I've never done this before."

"Now you'll get to see the racing from our point of view."

Lightning pouted. "I'd rather be out there, racing."

"Where's Sally?" Leyland asked.

"Upstairs in the private box."

"Good."

"We're ready to go, Dutto," Davo said.

Dutto nodded. "They know what to do. Just make sure they stay focused and don't collide with each other."

"Got it," Grant said.

Lightning remained silent throughout the entire practice round. But that wasn't because he wasn't paying attention. He watched and listened to everything attentively. It was very unusual for him to see everything that went on in the pits, but it made him wish that he could've sat in the pits for a race or two during his rookie year. Maybe then he might have appreciated his pit crew a lot more than he had.

The first practice session didn't go too badly for the team. Jamie got the fourth fastest time overall, while Craig, after suffering teething troubles with his new brake bias lever, finished the session with the twelfth fastest time. Amazingly, even though Craig had the twelfth fastest time, he was only three tenths off the pace, and he was the last racer to get within the one minute, twenty seconds mark. Marcus Ambrose finished the session with the fifteenth fastest time.

"Good job, guys!" Dutto praised once Craig and Jamie had returned to the pit garage. "How did that feel for you two?"

"I don't really like the 'stick'," Craig admitted. "But maybe that's because I'm not used to using it yet."

"Maybe Lightning could go with you for a short drive," Dutto suggested. "Then he can show you how to use it properly."

Lightning removed his headset. "Yeah, I need to get moving," he agreed.

"Don't be too long," Grant warned. "Half hour tops."

Nodding, Craig and Lightning left the pit garage. But before they could even begin sorting out the issues with Craig's brake bias lever, they heard someone scream out excitedly, "Daddy!" Turning, Lightning and Craig saw a little boy and a little girl driving quickly towards them. Craig gasped, not quite believing his eyes. Unable to say a word, he drove forwards to meet his kids. He embraced them tightly with his tyres.

"I've missed you two so much! How have you been?"

"Good," they answered, almost in unison.

"We really miss you though," Craig's daughter told him sadly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Mum brought us."

Craig was surprised. "She did? Where is she?"

"She's just coming," Craig's son replied.

Sure enough, Mrs Louds emerged from the crowd. She scowled upon seeing Craig. He gulped nervously.

"Hello, dear."

"Don't call me that!" she snapped. "We are through. I wouldn't even be here if I hadn't promised the kids months ago that I'd bring them to watch you race in the season opener. But don't ever expect me to bring them to another race again!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Lightning saw Sally park beside him. Mrs Louds also saw her, and she turned to face her.

"Hello, Sally. May I offer you one piece of advice? Never, EVER marry a race car! They'll only cause you too much grief and loneliness."

Lightning glanced at Sally in surprise, but her expression didn't change.

"Thank you for that unnecessary advice, Mrs Louds," Sally said calmly and evenly. "But I don't believe it's your decision who I chose to marry, is it?"

Mrs Louds scowled again. "How do you think you'll feel when your husband misses the first time your children start their engines? Or when they cut their first teeth? Or their first day of school? How about when they miss their school plays or sports days? I tell you, being a racer's widow is the worst marriage possible! Unless you enjoy being lonely…"

"Why don't we go somewhere private?" Craig suggested, noticing that a small crowd was beginning to gather around them.

"Why? The whole world's going to know about our divorce sooner or later!"

Craig cringed as his wife's voice gradually increased in volume. Seeing the children staring at their parents in shock, Lightning decided to distract them. He drove over to them.

"How about I get you some ice cream?" he suggested.

To his relief, the kids nodded eagerly.

"Yes, please, Mr McQueen," the little boy said politely.

"Great! Let's go."

"What about mum and dad?" the little girl asked.

"I think they need a bit of space for now," Lightning told them. He gently steered them away, and they disappeared into the crowd.

"Are mum and dad really going to get a divorce?" Craig's son asked nervously.

"I hope not," Lightning answered honestly. "Never mind about that now. What flavours would you like?"

A few minutes later, Lightning and the children returned to the Redbulldozer Racing team garage. The children were devouring their chocolate and strawberry ice creams as though nothing had happened. Craig was parked in a corner, crying softly, with Leyland beside him for moral support. Lightning was glad to see that Craig wasn't alone. Jamie drove over to them.

"Mrs Louds is upstairs in the private box," he whispered.

"Thanks. I'll take the kids up there now."

Jamie moved a bit closer to him. "Did you know that Craig's wife had left him?" he asked in a whisper.

"Yes. He confided in me a few weeks ago."

Jamie looked hurt. "So, it seems I was the only one who didn't know?"

Lightning didn't know what to say, so he took the children upstairs to be with their mother. He was glad to see that Mrs Louds and Sally were ignoring each other.

…

Jamie and Craig's second practice session was a disaster. Jamie finished in fifteenth place overall, while Craig ended up in a dismal twentieth place. They were both well off the pace. Amazingly, Marcus Ambrose didn't do well either, finishing in twenty-third. He seemed to have forgotten how tough the V8 Supercars really was.

Nobody in the Redbulldozer pit had anything to say as the session ended. They all knew what had caused the team's poor results. Leyland cast an imploring look at Lightning. Lightning was surprised that Leyland wanted him to take care of the situation. But before he could, the media swooped into the garage.

"Hey, Leyland? Can we have a moment, please?" the reporter asked.

"I suppose so," Leyland sighed, knowing they wouldn't go away until he'd said something.

"Can you tell us the reason for your team's poor performance today?"

"This is the first event of the season, and we're focussing more on precision rather than speed," Leyland lied. "I'd prefer to see my racers return to the garage in one piece."

Leaving Leyland to deal with the media, Lightning drove over to Jamie, who was relaxing under the buffer. "So, you're upset that Craig wouldn't confide in you about something completely personal to him?"

Jamie was a bit taken aback by Lightning's abruptness. "Well, yeah. I mean, we've been teammates ever since the team was formed. That means something, doesn't it?"

"He didn't confide in you because you're still a bachelor," Lightning explained, hoping he was correct. "He knew you wouldn't be able to understand what he was going through."

"And you do?" Jamie said doubtfully.

"Yes, because I am at least engaged. Now, you need to snap out of this pathetic little pity-party you've thrown for yourself and start acting like an adult instead of a spoilt brat! You're here to race, so if I don't see you trying your hardest out there during the next practice session, I'll make Dutto give you a protein drip!"

Stunned, Jamie switched off the buffer. "You wouldn't!"

"Oh, yes I would!" And Lightning gave Jamie his 'do-it-or-else' look.

Seeing Jamie cringe, Lightning turned his attention to Craig, who was parked on the other side of the garage, sipping a can of oil.

"Are you really going to give her the satisfaction of knowing that you're a pathetic little race car?" he challenged.

Craig almost choked on his drink. "What?"

"I'll bet your wife just brought your kids here so she could have the thrill of getting inside your head, and then have the satisfaction of watching you crash and burn. Is that what you want her to have?"

"N-no…"

"Then when you get back out onto the track, I want to see you giving it your very best! Don't give her the satisfaction that you're not worthy of being her husband. After all, how many women can say that they're married to a legend?"

"I-I'm not a legend…"

"Yes, you are! You were mentored by the great Peter Brock! And before you ask, yes, I have done my research about him, and I now know just how incredible a racer he was. You're already better than he was, so it's time you reminded everyone about that. Come on. Do it for your kids."

Lightning drove away quickly so he wouldn't have to see Craig's reaction to that. It wasn't hard to miss the sound of Craig struggling to hold back his tears though.

Shortly before one o'clock, the V8 Supercars returned to the racetrack for their third and final practice session. Lightning saw Craig and Jamie talking quietly together before they left pit row. He hoped that what he'd said to them had sunk in. Dutto helped Lightning put on his headset again.

The third practice session didn't start as well as they'd all hoped, when Craig went for a spin at turn seven on the second lap. Yellow flags went up temporarily while Craig corrected himself.

"What happened, Craig?" Lightning heard Grant ask.

"I slipped on a patch of oil," he replied. "Soft tyres don't help much with that."

"I want you to do a speed lap next," Grant instructed.

"Copy that."

Lightning found himself holding his breath as Craig set himself up for the speed lap. On the screen, he saw Craig put on his headlights as he raced over the start/finish line. Nobody said anything as the first sector split went up. Lightning saw that it was green, meaning that Craig was ahead of the times set by other racers who'd already done a speed lap. Thirty seconds later, the second split time came up green.

"Come on, Craig," Lightning whispered. He could see that Craig was really punishing himself out there. If it hadn't been for the new brake bias lever, Craig would've gone spinning again more than once.

As Craig entered the home straight, he put his accelerator down and went for it. Lightning grinned as Craig finished his fast lap. He'd just set the fastest time! Unfortunately, that time was broken a moment later by Rick Kelly.

"Take a few breather laps, Craig," Grant advised. "I'll let you know when I want you to do another speed lap."

"Copy that."

"Do the speed laps on lap nine," Leyland instructed the crew chiefs. "Just ensure they both have plenty of space between them."

Both forklifts raised their arms in acknowledgement.

By lap nine, Craig and Jamie were more than ready to do their final speed laps. Since Craig was ahead of Jamie, having overtaken him during his first speed lap, he went for it first. Jamie went after him a few seconds later.

Lightning bit his lower lip nervously as he watched his teammates tearing up the racetrack. He was almost too afraid to look at the sector splits.

"Yeah!" Grant cheered as Craig finished his speed lap with a time of 1:21.5966. Seconds later, Davo let out an even louder cheer.

"New lap record!" he shouted in Grant's face. Seeing the shattered look on Grant's face, everyone burst out laughing. Lightning glanced at the screen to see Jamie's time, and even he was shocked. The screen clearly gave the time as 1:20.9238. Lightning's jaw dropped in disbelief. Then he frowned with determination. Even if he couldn't race against Jamie on the racetrack, he could at least try to beat his lap times.

 **Thank you so much for the reviews everyone! Sorry I took a while to update. I've been working on my other projects.**

 **To answer 'Guest's' question, Lightning and Sally's rented house is based on a typical 'modern colonial' styled house that is very common here in Australia. In Queensland, colonials are called 'Queenlanders', because the design of the wrap-around veranda originated in Queensland. The wrap-around veranda helps keep the house cool during summer because they create wind-tunnels. So, even without air conditioning, the house would still be much cooler inside. Also, the majority of Australian houses are single story. Hope that's helpful.**


	9. Chapter 9 - Day 2 at the Adelaide 500 P2

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 9 – Day 2 at the Adelaide 500 – Part 2

Because Jamie had smashed the old lap record to pieces, the officials took him to the track doctor for a fuel test. While he was away, another official delivered a file to Leyland.

Leyland frowned as he read the document. "Well, that's just brilliant!"

"What?" Lightning queried.

Leyland glanced up at him. "The officials are putting their wheels down. Three of the Development Series racers have been slapped with a five grid spot penalty for having non-compliant brakes."

"Is one of them Renee?" Lightning asked hopefully.

"No. You got a problem racing against girls?"

"Of course not! I just don't like her attitude, that's all."

"Funny, she doesn't like yours," Dutto muttered, earning a cold glare from Lightning. "I rest my case."

"The bad news is that Paul's also been slapped with a five grid spot penalty for failing to comply with the yellow flag during yesterday's qualifying round. He's now starting from seventh."

Dutto groaned. "Want me to go shout at him later?"

"No," Leyland said shortly. " _I'll_ go and shout at him!"

Lightning drove over to Craig, who was just ending a discussion with Grant about his stats.

"Hey, Speedster," Craig smiled. "Sorry I was such a jerk before."

"That's okay. We're all jerks sometimes."

"I'm also sorry about what my wife said to you and Sally."

"Hey! It's not up to you to apologise for someone else's behaviour. Your wife is just really upset right now, and she doesn't realise what she's saying."

"She's partially right though. Not many racers marry because of the difficulties in balancing racing with family life. I thought I had the balance right, but obviously…"

Lightning sighed sadly. "I'm sorry, Craig. Truly, I am. I guess it takes a special kind of woman to marry one of us."

Craig nodded. "You're right. But it's a huge gamble finding the right woman, which is why most racers remain bachelors until they retire. Those of us who do marry usually end up divorced. That's what happened to my mentor, Brocky. Guess I was just hoping that I wouldn't suffer the same fate. But now… I'm upset of course, but I'm not really surprised by it."

"I suppose that explains why Doc never married until he met my mother," Lightning mused. "What do you think I should do, Craig? About Sally, I mean."

Craig almost laughed. "You're asking me?"

Lightning shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

Craig was silent for a moment while he thought. "Honestly? You need to always tell Sally everything that's on your mind. Never hide anything from her. She needs to know what's bothering or upsetting you, because if she doesn't know, she won't understand why you're in the mood you're in. Do you understand what I'm getting at?"

"I think so. I admit, I have had a lot on my mind lately that I probably should tell her."

"Ah! Not 'probably'. You _must_ tell her everything, even if you think it might hurt her feelings. If she truly loves you, she'll forgive and forget. If she won't, you're better off single."

Lightning cringed. "That's harsh."

"'Harsh reality is better than false hope'," Craig quoted. "I just wish I could've taken my own advice before all this happened."

"There must be more to your story than what you've told us."

Craig sighed in defeat. "There is. My wife married me believing that I would retire by the time I turned thirty. That's when we started having kids. I didn't know that at the time though, because she simply didn't tell me. I'm turning forty-one this year, and I guess she's realised that I'm not planning to retire anytime soon."

"Still…"

Jamie returned to the garage. "All clear!' he announced happily. "I love racing on soft tyres, and the track's amazing this year!"

"Geez, Jamie, tell someone who cares," one of the data engineers muttered.

"All right, everyone!" Leyland shouted. "It's time to get Craig and Jamie ready for qualifying."

…

"It's another lap record!" the commentator screamed as Jamie raced into the lead at the end of the first qualifying round.

Lightning scowled as he saw Jamie's time come up on the screen in front of him - 1:20.0905. It was almost nine-tenths of a second off his previous lap record, set barely two hours earlier. He knew that it'd take a miracle for him to beat Jamie's new lap record, but it'd be great if he could get close to it. Craig finished the first qualifying round in eighth, with a lap time just a bit faster than Jamie's previous record.

"It's a fast track today," Dutto muttered as he glanced through the times. The top eleven racers had finished within the one minute twenty mark.

"That's good though, isn't it?" Lightning asked.

"Yes and no." Dutto answered. He pointed to the data on the screen in front of him. "The lap times are fantastic, but Jamie's body temperature is slightly higher than normal, owing to the heat, and he's consuming more fuel than he normally would. Craig's also struggling with the heat. At least they're not racing until tomorrow, so we can crunch the numbers tonight and come up with a strategy that should suit both of them."

Fifteen minutes after the end of the first qualifying round, the V8 Supercar racers were back out onto the track for the second qualifying round. This time, nobody was surprised when Jamie broke his lap record – again.

"One twenty point oh-three-one-nine," Lightning read aloud to himself. Dutto parked beside him, and he passed a file over to Leyland.

"Jamie's fuel test results," he said, explaining what the file contained. He turned to Lightning. "You ready to race?"

"Yup! But I'll admit that I'm still a bit ticked off about the way Leyland tricked me yesterday though."

Dutto chuckled again. "Never mind about that. You needed a bit of motivation."

"Yeah, maybe…" Lightning mumbled.

"At least you qualified in first place. That's all Leyland cares about right now."

"Do you have any advice for the race?"

"Yes. Since you're starting from pole, I want you to race as hard and fast as you can for the first half of the first lap. Then ease back. I can almost guarantee that they'll be a safety car during the first few laps. There's no point in wasting your energy for a safety car. Your races today and tomorrow are sprint races, so you'll have no time to recover if anything goes wrong early in the race. Guess what I'm saying is, stay out of trouble out there."

"Okay, I'll do my best," Lightning promised.

"I want you to do more than your best," Leyland told him firmly as he put the file aside. "Now, let's start getting you ready."

…

At exactly 5:35, Lightning led the field of Development Series racers out onto the racetrack for their very first race of the season. As they followed the safety car around for the warm up lap, Lightning focused on ensuring that his tyres came up to pressure, and that his brake bias was in perfect balance.

When they arrived back at the grid, Dutto started speaking to Lightning over the radio. "Come into your grid gently. You can't over-shoot it, or you'll be penalised. That's it. Keep coming… Three… Two… One… Perfect! Stay right there!"

Lightning did so, but he revved his engine loudly, eager to get on with the race. Glancing across at the Redbulldozer Racing pit, he gave Jamie a wink. He was determined to do everything he possibly could to beat Jamie's lap record.

Craig's voice came over the radio. "Lightning, one thing we forgot to remind you about is that in the V8s, you go when the red lights disappear. There's no green flag or green lights to start. The green flag means that all the racers are ready to go, but it's not the starting signal. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Lightning replied. "Thanks for the reminder."

"Get off the radio, Craig!" Dutto ordered crossly, making Lightning chuckle.

Lightning turned his attention back to the track. In his rear-view mirrors, he could see the tail end of the field settling into their grid positions.

"Okay, green flag," Dutto said, indicating that everyone was now in their correct positions for the start.

Lightning keep his eyes on the starting lights. As soon as the red lights went out, he floored it. His rear tyres squealed as he accelerated off the grid.

"Great start!" Dutto praised.

Ignoring Dutto's comment, Lightning concentrated on maintaining his slight lead as the field raced around the first corner. He had no idea what was going on behind him, but he didn't care. It wasn't his problem.

On the second lap, two of the racers at the back of the field took each other out on turn nine. That seemed to be the most notorious corner for the Development Series racers, because just a few laps later there was a similar incident at the exact same corner. The instigator of that spin out, a rookie, James Golding, was penalised with a black flag pit lane drive through.

"Lightning," Dutto said during lap ten. "I don't mean to alarm you, but Paul's coming up fast behind you. He's just moved into second position."

"Copy that," Lightning replied. He wasn't concerned though. Having raced against Paul in the Enduro Cup, he knew what to expect from the older racer.

A lap later, Lightning was just negotiating turn four, when he heard the terrifying sounds of an accident happening in the distance behind him. The sound of metal against concrete wasn't mistakable, but he was out of range before he could see anything. He only hoped that whoever had crashed would be okay.

"Yellow flag!" Dutto announced. "They're sending out the safety car, Lightning, so be ready for it."

Lightning was already slowing down to safety car speed. "What happened, Dutto?"

"Brett Hobson broke his steering column, and he crashed head-first into the wall at turn four."

"Ouch!" Lightning said, winching in sympathy. "Will he be okay?"

"They're going to take him to hospital with a suspected broken jaw. I wouldn't be surprised if he swallowed half his teeth after that one…He's destroyed one of the track-side cameras. The camera car was lucky to get away in time."

It took four laps for Brett to be removed from the track, and owing to the time constraints, there was only time for one more lap once the safety car left the track.

"This is it, kid." Dutto told Lightning. "You can do this."

At the restart, Lightning went for it. But so did Paul. Paul stayed right behind Lightning for the entire last lap, ensuring that the much younger American racer felt uncomfortable with his presence. Lightning wasn't used to blocking as such low speeds during a race, but he was clever enough to use the corners to his advantage. By a miracle, Paul locked up his rear wheels on the hairpin, giving Lightning the breathing space he needed to finish strongly.

"Yes!" Lightning shouted enthusiastically as he passed beneath the waving chequered flag.

"Congratulations," Dutto praised. "Well done, Lightning! I think you've set the tone for the weekend."

"Thanks for your advice, Dutto," Lightning replied. "I couldn't have done it would you. Did I break Jamie's lap record?"

There was a pause while Dutto checked through Lightning's race stats. "No…" he finally said. "But they were at least consistent. Your last lap was the fastest, but you didn't break into the one minute twenty mark, I'm afraid."

Lightning sighed. "Oh well. I'll try again tomorrow."

"Hey, listen to me, Speedster. You're racing in the Development Series, not the Championship Series. Don't worry about breaking lap records. We just want you to finish each race in one piece, got it?"

"Yes, Dutto," Lightning begrudgingly agreed.

The whole team was in pit row to receive Lightning once he returned to the pits. The officials directed him over to the first place marker. Once he was there, the Redbulldozer pit crew swarmed around Lightning, making vital temperature and tyre pressure checks for the officials. Lightning grinned when he saw Sally pushing her way through the crowd.

"Stickers!" she shouted happily. Once she reached him, they embraced each other with a passionate kiss. "I knew you could do it! I'm so proud of you!"

"Okay, break it up you two," Leyland interrupted. "Lightning needs to go for a fuel test, and the trophy presentation."

"I'll be back soon," Lightning promised Sally. He followed an official inside the pit row building.

A few minutes later, it was time for the trophy presentation. Sally joined the rest of the Redbulldozer team to watch. Craig parked beside her.

"Where did my wife go?" he whispered.

"She took the kids back to the hotel for dinner," Sally quietly replied. "I expect she'll be back tomorrow."

Craig nodded solemnly. Just then, one of the commentators began speaking over the loudspeakers.

"Ladies and gentlecars! Please welcome the winners of the first race in the Development Series for 2015! In third place, Chris Pither!"

There was a pause while the crowd cheered for Chris as he drove onto the podium.

"In second place, Paul Drivewell!"

The cheering was a bit louder this time. Paul waved a tyre at the crowd, acknowledging them and thanking them for their applause.

"Representing the winning team, the team manager for Redbulldozer Racing Australia, Mark Dutton!"

Dutto drove onto the small stage, and he parked to the left of the podium, facing the crowd.

"And finally, our winner of race one in the Development Series, Lightning McQueen!"

The Redbulldozer Racing team went crazy as Lightning drove onto the centre of the podium. After he'd accepted his trophy, he thanked Dutto again.

"I know you can do well this year, Lightning," Dutto told him sincerely. "Unfortunately, you're a marked car now, so the others won't make it so easy for you tomorrow."

"Don't worry, Dutto. I'm used to being a marked car on the racetrack. Guess this just means that I need to get pole for every race, right?"

Dutto chuckled. "You've got it! But just remember, other teams will also be watching you. That's what the Development Series is all about. It's pretty much a market place for the Championship teams to search for their future racers. You might start getting offers to race with another team after 2016."

Lightning nodded. "Again, I'm used to that. But don't worry. If there's one good thing everyone can say about me it's that I'm completely loyal to the teams I race for. You can rest assured that I haven't made any plans for my racing future beyond 2016. I'd like to go back to the Piston Cup one day, but if I'm really successful here, who knows what I might decide?"

Leyland joined them then. "I hate to spoil your party here, guys, but Lightning, you have another race tomorrow morning, so you'd better get to bed early tonight."

"Okay, Ley. I'm going to head back to the hotel now anyway."

"Did you just call me 'Ley'?"

"Yup!" Lightning said, grinning mischievously.

"Hmph! So does that mean I can now call you 'Light'?"

"Err… I think I'd better go… Goodnight!"

"Goodnight, Speedster," Leyland chuckled. "And congratulations. I'm really proud of you."

Smiling at Leyland compliment, Lightning drove away to find Sally.

 **Thank you so much for the reviews! I really appreciate them, and they've helped me figure out a few things, especially when it comes to Craig's relationship with his wife. The sad reality is that the real Craig Lowndes did split from his wife in 2011, which is why I'm not giving names to his wife or his kids. I feel that this is such a sensitive issue, even in a FanFic, so I need to treat the subject as delicately as I can. However, it is important for me to include it in this story, as you'll find out as the story goes on.**

 **Since this story is based entirely on the current V8 Supercars racing season, even I don't know how it'll end, which makes it exciting for me as well, so please take the time to write a review. Thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10 - Day 3 at the Adelaide 500

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 10 – Day 3 at the Adelaide 500

 **Adelaide 500 Day 3 – Adelaide Street Circuit, Adelaide, South Australia – 28** **th** **February, 2015**

 _Bang! Bang! Bang!_

"Get up Lightning!" Dutto shouted.

 _Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Lightning slammed his tyre down on his alarm clock, shutting it off. "I'm awake, Dutto!" he shouted back crossly. He hadn't had the best night's sleep, thanks to Sally. Although Lightning had been ordered to go to bed early, he and Sally had stayed up until ten o'clock trying to settle on a wedding date. They'd been on the phone with Elinor too, trying to settle on a date that would work for everyone.

Groaning sleepily, Lightning stretched underneath his blankets. He was a bit stiff, so he made a mental note to see the team's physiotherapist, Dr Anderson, before his race. After giving Sally, who'd just woken up, a quick kiss, he quietly left his hotel room.

…

The racetrack was already busy by the time Lightning arrived there. As he headed towards the Redbulldozer garage, he thought he heard someone calling his name. Turning, he saw Kori coming towards him, followed as always by a camera car. Lightning reluctantly waited for them to catch up.

"Finally!" Kori panted. "I've been trying to find an opportunity to talk to you all weekend."

"Sorry. I've been busy."

"Obviously. Congrats on your win yesterday."

"Thanks."

"Are you hoping to back that up with another win today?"

"Of course! Uh, Kori, are you actually going to be following me for the entire racing season?"

"Yes. RSN assigned me to report on all of your Australian races, so I am. You don't mind, do? Your agent said it'd be okay."

Lightning groaned inwardly. Trust Harv to arrange something without telling him about it!

"It's okay. I just don't think most of my fans would be that interested."

"Are you kidding? Lightning, all of your fans want to see how well you do in Australia. The Enduro races you were in last year didn't get much coverage back home, which upset a lot of your fans, so I'm going to follow you this year. Would you have time to answer some of your fans' questions later?"

"I'm not sure… You'll have to talk to my boss, Leyland Dane."

"Okay, I will. Thanks. Good luck with your race today."

"Thanks Kori."

"By the way, I love your new paint job. Could you do a pose for us, please?"

Chuckling, Lightning turned towards the camera and he purred his engine. "Ka-chow!" he said, flashing his headlights.

"Great! That's perfect! Thank you," the camera car grinned. "Good luck from me too."

Nodding his appreciation, Lightning continued on towards his team's pit garage.

"Ah! Here he is, at last," Dutto said.

"Yeah, and good morning to you too, Dutto," Lightning muttered.

"Oooh! Someone's grumpy this morning!" Jamie teased.

"I'm not grumpy! I just need a coffee."

"Here you go then," Leyland said, slipping one over to him. "I suppose a little bit of sugar won't hurt."

Lightning drank the coffee quickly. Then he turned towards Leyland. "Thanks for that. By the way, Sally and I have settled on a date for our wedding."

"And that is…?"

"The twenty-fourth of May."

"That's a week after Winton."

Lightning nodded. "That won't be a problem, will it?"

"No, I don't think so. Just make sure you look after yourself though. We can't have the bridegroom crashing before his wedding can we?"

"Don't jinx him, Leyland," Dutto interjected.

Grinning, Lightning drove over to Dr Anderson. "Would you be able to give me some physio this morning, please? I'm a bit stiff after yesterday's race."

"Of course. I'll do Craig and Jamie first, since they've got another practice session before your race."

Lightning nodded. "Thanks."

…

A few hours later, it was time for the fourth practice session for the Championship racers. As the Lightning enviously watched the racers drive out onto the racetrack, Dr Anderson whispered to him.

"I can do that physio for you now, if you like."

"Thanks," Lightning replied. He followed Dr Anderson into a quiet room.

"Right, where are you stiffest?" Dr Anderson asked.

"My axles mostly. Especially my front ones."

"That's probably because you're still getting used to racing on tracks with such tight corners. How's your side been?"

"Great. I haven't had any problems with it."

"That's good, because if hairline fractures don't heal properly, they can be bothersome. That fact that it's not bothering you means that it's healed properly. Okay, I'll do your front axles first. Try to relax."

"I already am," Lightning muttered as he closed his eyes contently. Chuckling, Dr Anderson got to work.

All too soon, Dr Anderson was done. "There you go, Speedster. I hope you feel much better now."

"I am, thank you. That was wonderful."

Feeling much more alert, Lightning returned to the pit garage. Kori was in there, talking to Leyland. She smiled when she saw Lightning.

"There you are! I was just asking Mr Dane if he'd let me interview you now."

"Keep it brief," Leyland grunted.

"Sorry," Lightning apologised. "I should've warned you that Leyland doesn't like the media much."

"That's an understatement," Dutto sniggered, earning himself a cold glare from his boss.

Kori ignored them. "Lightning, I have some questions from some of our RSN viewers. I'll ask you the top three questions that people have been asking."

"Okay."

"Here's the first question. Is racing in Australia different to racing in America?"

"Very much so," Lightning replied. "In the Piston Cup, speed is everything. Here in the V8 Supercars, speed isn't as important as skill and tactics. You can easily be the fastest one out there during a race, but all it takes is one tiny mistake and your race can be over in an instant."

As Lightning was speaking, he heard the sounds of an accident happening out on the track. Turning to look at the monitors, he saw that one of the Championship racers had side-swiped the wall at turn eight. He quickly reversed so the camera car could get footage of the incident.

"See, this is exactly what I was just talking about," Lightning added.

Kori nodded and the camera car focused the camera on them again.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Kori asked.

"Yeah. I lost my rear-view mirror there the other day when I got a bit too close for comfort with that wall. It didn't hurt. My mirrors are held on with suction caps. The other racers don't have that luxury."

"I see. Moving right along to the next question. Why did you leave the Piston Cup?"

"I think I've answered that question quite a few times, Kori."

"I know, but the viewers would like to know more details."

"There aren't many details. I just needed a change. I lost interest in the Piston Cup. At least racing here is a challenge. I know I won my first race yesterday, but I was being pushed to my limits. That's what I was missing in the Piston Cup."

"And the final question, is there a way your American fans can watch you race?"

"I think there's an online channel where my fans can watch me race live. The V8 Supercars website should have a link, but don't quote me on that."

"Okay. Thanks for your time, Lightning, and good luck in your next race."

"Thanks."

"Time to get you ready now, kid," Leyland told him firmly.

"How did Craig and Jamie go?" Lightning asked quickly.

"Craig got fourth and Jamie got seventh. The track's slowed down a lot though, so don't try breaking any records."

Lightning rolled his eyes. Then he went to get ready for his race.

…

"And three…two…one…" Dutto counted as Lightning rolled into pole position on the grid for the start of the second Development Series race. "Stop! Perfect."

"Thanks Dutto," Lightning said over the radio as he glanced over to his crew chief, who was standing behind the pit row wall.

Having come second in the first race the day before, Paul was second on the grid, alongside Lightning. He glared at the younger American.

"I know we're friends, Lightning, but don't expect me to take things easy on you today."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Lightning replied indignantly.

"Green flag," Dutto told Lightning. He then disappeared into the team's garage, so he could monitor the race from the team's designated crew chief's area.

Lightning focused on the starting lights and he revved his engine aggressively. Behind him, all the other racers were doing the same. The noise they generated was deafening.

The red lights went out, almost catching Lightning off-guard. He accelerated quickly, but Paul got the jump on him. Together, the two off them race side-by-side down the home straight. Lightning was on the outside coming into the chicane, which wasn't where he wanted to be. Sure enough, Paul saw his opportunity and he took it. Lightning moved over to avoid getting caught up on the second corner of the chicane, and the two racers ended up scraping.

"Yield, Lightning!" Dutto shouted over the radio. "Or you'll be penalised."

Reluctantly, Lightning backed off. He stayed right behind Paul, making sure the older car knew that he was still there. He could feel the heat coming from Paul's engine full in his face, and that only added to Lightning's frustration.

"Where's the best place for me to overtake?" Lightning asked Dutto.

"Turn eleven or fourteen – the hairpin," Dutto answered. "Be patient. Keep the pressure on him, and he might make a mistake which will save you the bother."

"I don't like this Dutto."

"I know. I might get you to back off a bit soon. The heat from his engine might make you overheat."

Scowling, Lightning crept closer to Paul's rear bumper. At turn eleven, he took the inside line in an attempt to try and overtake Paul, but Paul was able to block him.

"I can't shake him, guys," Lightning heard Paul complain to his team. He couldn't hear their answer, but he guessed that they might be planning something.

As they raced down the home straight and entered the second lap, Lightning moved over to the far left. He hoped that would help him to gain the inside line coming into the chicane, and give him a better chance of overtaking Paul. Unfortunately, Paul was just too fast for him, and Lightning lost some significant ground. On the plus side, he was able to get some fresh air into his system, which greatly helped.

"Relax, Lightning," Dutto told him. "Just try to make up the ground you lost, okay?"

"Copy that."

But that was much easier said than done. Every time Lightning thought he was gaining on Paul, the other racer would sprint away, leaving Lightning choking on his fumes. Soon, Lightning's irritation caused him to become careless. That is, until Dutto gave him some bad news.

"Lightning, the officials are giving you an official warning for overuse of the kerb at turn two. If it happens three more times, you'll be black flagged and your race will be over. There's only five laps left, so watch that, okay?"

"Yes, Dutto," Lightning sighed despondently.

"Cheer up. You're doing great."

"I'm glad you think so."

Just then, Lightning saw Paul accidentally lock up his rear brakes on the hairpin. _Yes!_ he thought hopefully, and he accelerated, hoping to at least close the gap between them. Seeing Lightning coming up fast behind him, Paul almost panicked, but then he floored it. Together, Lightning and Paul raced side-by-side down the home straight once again. But unfortunately, Lightning was on the outside again, and he was forced to yield to Paul as they reached the chicane.

"Come on!" Lightning muttered to himself.

"Try again at turn eleven," Dutto instructed.

"Copy that."

As luck would have it, Lightning was just setting himself up to try and overtake Paul, when he saw the yellow flags come out.

"Oh, that's just great!" he shouted furiously to nobody in particular. He slammed his brakes on hard and he did a power slide around turn eleven, just to show just how angry he was.

"Lightning, settle down," Leyland told him calmly. "I'm never angry with a racer who doesn't win. Especially if I can see that they're really trying. And if you don't settle down soon, the officials might fine you for bad sportsmanship, so just chill, okay?"

Lightning gritted his teeth. "Yes, Leyland. What's caused the safety car?"

"James Golding crashed hard into turn four. They're going to take him to hospital. He's awake now, but he was unconscious immediately after the impact."

Lightning sighed despondently. If only he'd been able to overtake Paul sooner!

"Feeling frustrated back there?" Paul teased as he glanced at Lightning in his rear-view mirrors.

Lightning decided not to respond. But then he realised something. He couldn't even remember the last time he hadn't been able to overtake someone on a racetrack. He racked his memory, trying to remember the last racer who had caused him this much frustration. Then he remembered.

 _Chick Hicks!_

"Oh, boy!" Lightning groaned aloud.

"Did you say something, Lightning?" Dutto asked.

"Yes, but I was talking to myself."

"That's the first sign of madness."

"No, the first sign is when you start answering yourself."

Dutto chuckled. "That means the majority of our team is crazy."

Lightning had to laugh at that. He knew Dutto was only cracking jokes to help him settle down. But he was grateful for that. Lightning needed to concentrate if he was to stand any chance of winning this race.

With two laps to go, the safety car left the race track. Lightning accelerated a fraction of a second before Paul did as they thundered over the start/finish line. Once again, Lightning attempted to overtake Paul, this time on the inside line of the chicane and, to his great surprise, he succeeded! But the success was short-lived. Paul managed to overtake him on turn four. Lightning tried again on turn five, but he ended up having to yield again.

"It's okay Lightning," Leyland assured him. "Just finish the race in one piece, okay?"

"Okay."

But Lightning was determined not to give Paul the satisfaction of winning easily. If Paul was going to win, he'd have to earn it, and Lightning would ensure that he did. He remained right on Paul's bumper for the rest of the race. On their final turn around the hairpin, Lightning gunned it, pushing himself as hard as he dared. He managed to move up alongside Paul and the two of them sprinted to the finish line.

As Paul and Lightning crossed the finish line, neither of them was sure who'd won. That's how close it had been. But it wasn't long before they found out.

"Paul won," Dutto told Lightning simply.

Lightning sighed sadly. Ahead of him, Paul was beginning his victory lap.

"Oh well," Lightning said to Dutto. "I'll get him next time."

"I'm sure you will. That was an exciting race though! Everyone in here was watching it. Even Craig and Jamie. It's been ages since a Development Series race was that close. You did us proud, kid."

"Thanks Dutto. I'm just disappointed that I didn't win after all that."

"Hey! You only lost by oh-point-two-sixths of a second! If you'd stuck your tongue out you would've won!"

For the second time in three days, Lightning was left completely speechless!


	11. Chapter 11 - RSN Live Cross

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 11 – R.S.N. Live Cross

 **Wheel Well Hotel, Radiator Springs – 1** **st** **March (Australian time); 28** **th** **February (American west coast time) 2015**

It was a typical, quiet evening at the Wheel Well. Legions of Lightning's fans continued to visit the town, even though they knew they wouldn't have the opportunity of seeing him. For many, just knowing that they were driving on roads that Lightning had driven on gave them a sense of euphoria. It was late too; about ten o'clock. Inside the Wheel Well, Guido and Luigi were serving out their famous cocktails to the visitors and the town's residents. On the lookout area outside the Wheel Well, Elinor was parked at a table with Mater, Flo and Ramone. She wasn't showing much interest in her cocktails.

"What's wrong, Elinor?" Flo finally asked.

"Oh, I know it's petty of me, but I haven't spoken to Lightning for over a week."

"He is extremely busy," Ramone pointed out.

"I know, but it'd be nice if he'd just phone me to say that he's okay."

"Wha' bout Miss Sally?" Mater asked. "Couldn't she phone ya?"

"She did. Three days ago. She said they were about to fly to somewhere called Adelaide for Lightning's first races. Why can't they show the Australian races live over here?"

"There is such a thing as 'time change'," Flo gently reminded her.

"I don't care. I'd stay up all night if I had to."

"Bu' doesn't watchin' Lightnin' race upset ya?" Mater asked.

Elinor glanced down at the table in front of her. "Well, yes it does make me nervous," she admitted. "When Doc was still alive, I trusted him to look after Lightning whenever he raced, but now he's being looked after by people who are almost total strangers to me! I'm glad racing makes him happy, but at the same time, I wish he'd quit while he's still ahead."

Just then, they heard a shout from inside the Wheel Well. It came from Sarge. "Hey, everyone! Lightning's on R.S.N.!"

Elinor found herself caught up in the rush of cars as everyone tried to pack themselves inside the tiny Wheel Well. Luckily, Mater helped push Elinor to the front so she could easily see the TV screen. Brett Mustangberger was already talking.

"…Late last year, seven time Piston Cup Champion, Lightning McQueen, made the astonishing decision to change racing codes. As we all know, it is rare for race cars to change codes and continue winning, so it'll be interesting to see how well he does downunder. He is now racing in the Australian Touring Car series known as the V8 Supercars. We will now cross live to our reporter, Kori Turbowitz, who is in the city of Adelaide, in the state of South Australia."

The broadcast went into spilt-screen with Brett on the left and Kori on the right. Elinor could see that it was mid-afternoon where Kori was. Behind her was the back of the Redbulldozer Racing pit garage. Looking through it, Elinor could see racers racing out on the racetrack. She drew in a breath, hoping that Lightning wasn't racing right then.

"Good afternoon, Brett," Kori said into the camera. "Or perhaps I should say good evening, since you're a day behind me right now."

Brett chuckled, and Kori continued.

"I'm standing outside the Redbulldozer Racing team garage at the Adelaide street circuit, and I must say that the atmosphere down here in pit row is incredible! It's obvious that Australians really love their racing."

"Kori, how did Lightning go? We understand that he's been in a couple of races, and that they're over now?"

Kori nodded. "That's right, Brett. I wasn't able to gain any access to pit row until yesterday, owing to the tight security they have here. But I now have full press access to the teams, so I shouldn't have any more problems in the future. Yesterday morning I was fortunate enough to catch Lightning on his way to his team's garage, and he agreed to a brief interview later that day. Here's some of what he had to say."

The footage changed to show the brief interview Kori had had with Lightning in the team's garage. Elinor smiled proudly when she heard her son's responses to Kori's questions. Once the clip ended, the screen went back to split screen. There was brief pause while Kori waited for Brett to speak.

"So, how did Lightning go in his races?"

"As part of the V8 Supercars Development Series, Lightning had two sprint races this weekend. He won the first race by a convincing margin, but was narrowly beaten in the second race by his friend and rival from last year's Enduro Cup, Paul Drivewell."

As Kori spoke, footage from both of Lightning's races was shown on the screen. Elinor couldn't help cringing when she saw just how close Lightning came to the solid concrete walls. She also cringed when she saw footage of some of the accidents a couple of the other racers had suffered. She was glad that Lightning hadn't crashed, but she was still worried about him racing on such a dangerous looking track.

"I have some good news for Lightning's fans back home in America," Kori continued. "R.S.N. have come to an agreement with V8 Supercars Australia, and for the rest of the year, all of Lightning's races, practice sessions and qualifying rounds will been shown live on R.S.N. Sadly, Lightning's next appearance won't be until the second of May, so his fans will have to keep waiting. We do have replays of his races from this weekend already on the R.S.N. website, so viewers won't miss out."

"Right, well I think our website's just crashed," Brett joked. "Can I just ask, what's that race going on behind you?"

"That's the main event for this weekend, the Adelaide five hundred," Kori explained. "It is a Championship race. Lightning isn't in it, but both of his teammates, Craig Louds and Jamie Win-Cup are."

"So, where's Lightning now?"

"I think he's inside the garage…" Kori said as she drove closer to it. The camera followed her.

The screen went a bit darker for a moment while the camera adjusted to the dimness of the garage as the camera car followed Kori, but then it brightened again. Sure enough, Lightning was inside the garage, parked in front of the crew chief screens between Dutto and Leyland. He had his headset on, and Dutto was just pointing something out to him on one of the screens in front of them.

"Excuse me, Lightning," Kori said. He didn't seem to hear her since he was concerntrating so hard, but Leyland saw her. He gave Lightning a nudge.

"Craig's looking a bit stiff in his front left axle," Lightning told Dutto. "I'd keep an eye on that."

Dutto removed Lightning's headset for him. "You have company."

Glancing around in confusion, Lightning froze when he saw Kori and the camera aimed at him. Elinor saw him gulp, and she realised he must have seen that the 'live' light on the camera was on. She knew how much Lightning hated doing live interviews.

"We're sorry to disturb you Lightning," Kori apologised as they moved away from the monitors. "I didn't realise you'd be so busy on a day that you're not racing."

"Neither did I," Lightning replied. "But Dutto decided that I should make myself useful since I have a degree in Sport's Science. I'm finding it rather interesting seeing races from this angle. I'm really learning a lot."

"So, would you consider becoming a crew chief after you retire?"

"I don't see why not, Kori. However, my retirement is still a long way into the future. I'm only twenty-seven, and some of the guys racing for the Championship out there today are well into their forties. I think I'll be around for a good while yet."

"Is it just me, or are you starting to speak with an Australian accent?"

"Am I?" Lightning chuckled. "Well, if you say I am, then I guess I must be. I didn't realise it."

"That's okay. Do you find that being an American makes it hard for the other racers to accept you?"

"No, not really. They don't really like the idea of racing against me, since they think I have an advantage, but I don't see how. I've never raced on tracks like this before in my life, and there are so many things here that are different to the Piston Cup that I have to keep trying to remember them. I mean, in the Piston Cup, you don't get penalised for cutting corners or for rubbing up alongside the other racers. I got away with just one warning yesterday for cutting a corner, which is surprising, considering how frustrated I was. Guess what I'm saying is that this is all still very new to me, and I'm glad I'm doing the Development Series, because it's giving me the opportunity to become familiar with everything before I get plunged into the deep end with the Championship Series next year."

"How do you feel about Marcus Ambrose racing in the Championship Series?"

"To be honest, I don't really care. If he thinks he can handle it, I say good luck to him. It'll certainly make things more interesting for us next year."

"Yes, I'm sure it will," Kori agreed. "Thank you for your time, Lightning. We'd better let you get back to what you were doing."

"Thanks."

The live cross ended a moment later, and Brett went on to other racing news. Elinor sighed despondently.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Flo asked her kindly.

"It's nothing really. I just miss having him around."

"Lightning?"

"Mmm… I've even thought of going to Australia to be with him, but…"

"No," Flo said firmly. "Lightning and Sally need this time to get to know each other properly. You'll only be in the way. But you'll see him again soon, at the wedding."

"Yes. I'm really looking forward to that."

"Me too. Come along now, dear. Finish your cocktail, and then we'll head on back to town. You can try phoning Lightning tomorrow night."


	12. Chapter 12 - Adelaide Debrief

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 12 – Adelaide Debrief

 **Lightning and Sally's rented property, Kallangur, 31kms north of Brisbane – early March 2015**

Moaning sleepily, Sally slowly woke up. She reached out with her tyre to try and pull Lightning closer to herself, but she couldn't feel him. Opening her eyes, she saw that he wasn't beside her. But before she could go looking for him, he drove into the bedroom.

"Morning sleeping beauty," he teased as he placed a can of oil in front of her.

"Morning. You're not usually up before me." She glanced down at the oil. "And you certainly have never prepared breakfast for me before either."

Lightning cringed sheepishly. "I hope you like it."

Sally took a sip and her eyes lit up happily. "Yum! You at least know how I like my oil. Shouldn't you be heading off to training?"

"Not yet. I wanted to talk to you first."

"Uh, oh! What about?"

"Us." Pausing, Lightning took a deep breath. "Sal, over the past few weeks, I've been wondering if we really should get married. Please, let me finish before you say anything. After seeing what's happened to Craig and his family, I realised that the last thing I want is for you to be lonely. My racing career could last at least another twenty years, or more if I'm lucky. I wouldn't be able to bear to see you become as bitter as Mrs Louds, especially after we have kids. You won't be able to come to all my races like you do now, and I'd feel guilty leaving you alone with our children. So, I'm going to give you one more chance to make up your mind. I'll be perfectly happy either way, whatever you decide."

"Lightning Blaze McQueen," Sally said firmly. "When I agreed to marry you that evening in Sydney, I made a commitment to you. I've known you for almost nine years now, and if you think I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I accepted your proposal, you're wrong. I know how involved you need to be in your racing for you to succeed. I don't know what the future will hold for us, but I do know that I love you enough to commit my entire life to you, come what may."

Tears had welled up in Lightning's eyes as Sally spoke. He nodded as a wave of relief rushed over him. Then, moving in closer to each other, the two cars kissed passionately for several minutes.

"You'd better get to training or Leyland will strip your body and nail it to the wall!" Sally finally said.

"Yes, you're right," Lightning sighed. "I'll see you later tonight."

They kissed briefly again before Lightning reluctantly left.

…

Despite the traffic congestion on the highway that morning, Lightning managed to arrive at the Triple Eight Race Engineering team headquarters with five minutes to spare.

"Morning Susan," he said, greeting the receptionist.

"Morning Lightning. Leyland wants the whole team to assemble in the meeting room for the team debrief."

"Thanks."

It wasn't hard for Lightning to find the meeting room. He just had to follow everyone else. His eyes widened with delight when he entered it. Jamie playing a quick game of indoor soccer with Davo and some of the pit crew boys. Grinning, Lightning drove straight into the middle of the game, tackled the ball off Jamie and kicked it straight into the nearest goal.

"Woohoo!" he cheered excitedly, and he spun a doughnut. "Score!"

"But you weren't on a team!" Jamie protested as the opposing team also cheered.

"Too bad. That one counts," Davo grinned. "Come on, Speedster. You're on our team now."

"Hey! Four against five isn't fair!" Jamie protested.

"Tough!" Lightning retorted.

The game resumed. A few minutes later, Lightning made a slide tackle for the ball, but he missed and ended up colliding heavily against Jamie's side. Before Jamie could so much as gasp, a voice rang out.

"WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON IN HERE?"

Everyone promptly froze in place. Leyland was standing in the doorway, with Dutto directly behind him. Dutto nervously shifted the files he was carrying. Clearly, he knew what was coming. Lightning could feel Leyland's stare going straight through him, and he gulped nervously.

"Lighten up, Leyland," Jamie finally said, breaking the silence. "We were only playing a game of indoor soccer."

Leyland drew in a deep breath. "It is to never happen again. Is that clearly understood by everyone?"

"Yes, Leyland," the entire team replied in unison.

It took a few minutes to put the room back together and settle everyone down. Once they had, Leyland and Dutto took their places at the front of the room.

"Okay, is everyone here?"

"We're only missing Craig," Grant replied.

While he was still speaking, there was a flurry in the back of the room as Craig came racing inside.

"No, you're not," he said, panting heavily.

Leyland rolled his eyes. "Craig, if you get a speeding fine, you're paying it this time."

"Sorry," Craig cringed. "You should've seen the traffic…"

"It wasn't that bad," Lightning muttered.

Leyland nodded in agreement. "Quite so, Lightning. If you can get here on time, Craig should be able to as well."

"Whose side are you on?" Craig said to Lightning as he parked beside him.

"My own."

"Okay, everyone!" Leyland said. "First of all, I'd like to congratulate everyone on a solid weekend. We've had a decent start to the year, what with a first and second place for Lightning, and a first for Jamie, and fourth for Craig in race one. Race two unfortunately didn't go the way we would've liked, with Jamie getting a flat tyre after that horrendous restart after the safety car…"

All eyes turned to Jamie, who squirmed uncomfortably.

"Not my fault I accidentally ran over that piece of metal," he muttered. "They didn't do a good job cleaning up after that wreck."

"Perhaps," Davo agreed. "But it wasn't on the track, and you had to go off-road to find it. I must admit that seeing you go for a rally drive was the highlight of that race for me!"

Jamie stuck his tongue out at Davo in response, but Davo didn't seem to notice.

Leyland coughed to get everyone's attention again. "At least Craig finished third in that race after McLaughlin was penalised immediately afterwards, so we were on the podium, despite Jamie's big blunder," he continued. "However, fourth for Jamie and ninth for Craig in the third race isn't where we wanted to be at the end of the weekend. What have I been talking about all summer?"

"Strategy," everyone, except Lightning, replied.

"Right. So what happened to it?"

"I admit that we didn't use the first safety car in race three to Craig's advantage," Grant said. "We did a splash-and-dash with him early in the race to give him some clear air, and to try and avoid double-stacking later, but we should've brought him in again when we had the chance. I was counting on a second safety car about halfway through the race, but we didn't get it."

Dutto nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I should talk to you about what to do in those situations. It can be difficult to know what to do sometimes. Especially when you need to make an almost instant decision. Before you continue, Leyland, I should point out that some of us didn't get the required amounts of protein I prescribed to everyone over the weekend. Please remember that although I am now the team manager, I will be keeping my eyes on all of you. Jamie, Craig and Lightning were fine despite their protests, but some of you… Yes, I think you all know who you are!"

Quiet laughter rippled through the team for a moment.

"Okay everyone, settle down, please," Leyland ordered. "I want to go through each racer's performance systematically now. Let's start with Lightning. Dutto?"

"Yes… Where are my notes...? Ah! Here we go. Lightning, I was really happy with your qualifying pace. That is something we need to use to your advantage in future races. As I'm sure you're aware, if you qualify well, it is much easier to stay out of trouble. Your speed is excellent, as is your braking. On the negative side, your reaction time at the start of a race could be improved. You need to remember the lights system we use here. Also, your attitude when you're not in the lead needs to be curbed. I know it's frustrating, but you need to learn to be patient. Losing your temper halfway through a race can cost you valuable time, pace and energy. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Dutto," Lightning replied sincerely.

"Good. From now on until your next race, we'll focus on your reaction times off the start line and overtaking procedures. We'll also work on sprinting during your training sessions, since you don't need to worry about endurance races this year. You'll still do endurance training with Craig and Jamie, but your focus needs to be on sprint racing."

"Okay."

"Is that all, Dutto?' Leyland asked.

"Yes. For now at least. I'll discuss things more thoroughly with Lightning in our meeting later this afternoon."

"Good. Right, let's move onto Jamie. Davo?"

With a quiet sigh, Lightning let his thoughts wander a bit as Davo began giving a run-down of Jamie's performance.

…

A few hours later, after the team debrief and some training work on the rolling road, Lightning was asked to meet Leyland in the main foyer. When he arrived, he found Leyland and Dutto carefully placing five trophies inside the enormous trophy cabinet.

"You wanted to see me, Leyland?" Lightning asked as he drove up.

"Yes. I just wanted to know if you'd like us to store your trophies inside this cabinet until you go back to America. They'll be much more secure here than in your own home."

"Sure. I don't mind. At least I'll know where they all are."

Leyland smiled. "That's true. So tell me, who was that reporter who was following you around the track last weekend?"

"That's Kori. She's the only reporter I trust. She's been assigned to follow me while I race here."

"I see. Well, so long as you're comfortable with her reporting on you, I'm happy for her to keep doing so." He glanced at Dutto. "Is that all of them?"

"Yup! Let's lock this now, and then we can go have some lunch. Don't forget our meeting after lunch, will you, Speedster?"

"I won't," Lightning promised. And with that, he drove away to the join Craig and Jamie in the cafeteria.


	13. Chapter 13 - Lightning's Accident

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 13 – Lightning's Accident

 **Australian Grand Prix - Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne – Wednesday, 11 March, 2015**

"I don't understand the point of this," Lightning complained to Dutto as they watched the pit crew setting everything up for the weekend of racing. "Why are you going to all this trouble for a race weekend where they won't be awarding any points?"

"Because we only get three chances to practice on a racetrack each year," Dutto replied. "At our summer training camp, the practice day in Sydney, and a final session we can use at our own discretion. That's why this weekend is very important to us. It helps us sort out all the bugs before we get too far into the Championship."

"Oh." Lightning chuckled softly to himself. "I wish we had that in the Piston Cup."

"You don't need it in the Piston Cup, because you're allowed to practice on a racetrack whenever you want to."

"Yeah, that's true," Lightning conceded. "I just wish I was racing this weekend."

"I know. But you can make yourself useful in many other ways. But not at the moment. Why don't you go and get ready for tonight's ball? I can manage things here for now."

"Okay. Thanks."

Lightning was actually really excited about the ball that evening. Not only was it a great opportunity for him to be able to impress Sally with his dancing skills (or rather, the lack thereof), but he'd also be able to catch up with many of his racing friends from around the world.

Pausing in front of a window, Lightning admired his paintwork for a moment. "I think I'll just have a wash and polish," he decided. "Then I'll help Sally decide what rims to wear. That should take the rest of the afternoon."

…

A few hours later, Lightning escorted Sally to the Australian Grand Prix ball, which was being held inside a fancy hotel opposite the racetrack.

"I've been looking forward to this," Lightning told Sally fondly as they drove into the hotel's ornate colonial-styled ballroom side by side. The room was packed full of Formula One racers, V8 Supercars, their teams and countless officials from both racing codes.

"Me too," Sally agreed. "I feel sorry for Craig though, being here tonight without his wife. Oh, look. There's our team."

Lightning grinned at Sally.

"What?"

"You said 'our team'."

"Yeah, I've been talking to Leyland. I've been feeling a bit lonely watching the races from the team's private box by myself, so he's agreed to let me watch your races from the garage."

"Really? That's great!"

"But only on the condition that I stay where I'm out of the way."

Lightning rolled his eyes.

"Ahh! Lightning McQueen-a!" someone shouted from the other side of the ballroom. Lightning's countenance fell.

"Oh no!" he muttered quickly. He know exactly who that voice belonged to. So did Sally.

"I think an old friend of ours is here tonight."

Sure enough, Francesco Bernoulli emerged from the crowd, and he drove over to the happy couple. "Hey-a McQueen-a! It's-a been a while, no?"

"Uh, yeah. Five years, right? How have you been, Francesco?"

"Good-a. Yourself?"

"I can't complain."

"I see you-a quit the Piston Cup."

"Yeah. I fancied a change."

"You mean-a, you decided to stop driving around-a in-a circles?"

Lightning chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah, something like that."

"And are you-a enjoying yourself-a here?"

"Very much. But I do miss home," Lightning admitted.

"Francesco does too. Btu he-a focuses on-a his-a racing, and that's-a how he-a wins."

Lightning chuckled. Francesco's way of talking was both confusing and humorous at the same time. While it annoyed most people, Lightning didn't mind listening to Francesco talking about himself. That is, until Francesco started insulting him. But Francesco wasn't insulting him now. This was a friendly conversation.

"I'll let you boys talk," Sally said, excusing herself. Lightning watched her drive over to Craig, who was looking lost and forlorn. He exhaled deeply.

"Is-a something wrong between you and-a Sally?" Francesco asked sincerely.

"No, fortunately. It's my friend and teammate who's going through a break-up. He's trying not to show how much it's hurting him, but events like this really upset him. Whoops. Sorry, I probably shouldn't have said anything. It hasn't got into the media yet, so please keep it to yourself."

"I will," Francesco promised. "So, how come you aren't-a racing this weekend-a?"

"I'm in the Development Series. They're not racing this time, so I'm just a spectator. My next racing weekend isn't until the first week of May, and it's over in Perth."

"Too bad-a. Would you-a like to-a race now?"

"What?"

"You and-a me? We race-a out on the track. Just for-a fun."

Lightning hesitated. But then his competitiveness overrode his common sense, and he winked at Francesco. "You're on!"

Before long, Lightning and Francesco had managed to slip away from the ball without being seen. Francesco had also managed to rope in one of his pitties to help start the race. The pitty didn't look terribly happy about it, but he had little choice.

"I've just remembered something," Lightning said as they drove into Francesco's pit garage. "I have a speed limiter now."

Francesco was surprised. "What for?"

"The V8s. We all have to have speed limiters. Otherwise, we'll all end up flying off the racetrack!"

"My pitty can-a disable it for you."

Lightning hesitated again, but then he agreed. It only took a minute for the pitty to disable his speed limiter. Then, Lightning and Francesco drove over to the starting line. Switching on their headlights, they revved their engines menacingly. The pitty held up a green starter's flag.

"We'll do five-a laps," Francesco declared. "Loser has to-a buy the other's drinks for the rest of the night."

"Yeah? Well, I'll need plenty of them after I whip your rear end!"

The moment the pitty dropped the flag, Lightning and Francesco floored it. The screech of their tyres could be heard clear over to the hotel; even above the noise of the hubbub going on inside.

"Is someone doing burnouts?" Leyland wondered.

"Sure sounds like it," Craig replied.

Just then, Sally noticed something. "Hey, I can't see Lightning. Or Francesco."

Leyland and Dutto exchanged anxious glances. Clearly, they were thinking the same thing.

"Oh, no…" Dutto groaned. He hurried after Leyland, who was already making his way towards the exit. Sally, Craig and Jamie quickly followed them.

Out on the racetrack, Lightning and Francesco were keeping pace with one another reasonably well around the pitch-black racetrack. They had no floodlights to help them see, except in the home straight, so they had to rely entirely on their headlights. Lightning, completely unfamiliar with the track, kept a little bit behind Francesco. But he wasn't concerned. He was just waiting for the right moment to make his move.

Leyland, Dutto, Craig, Jamie and Sally emerged in pit lane just as Lightning and Francesco rounded the final turn coming onto the home straight after their first lap.

"Stop him, Mark!" Leyland shouted urgently. "He isn't wearing racing tyres!"

But they were too late. Halfway down the home straight, Lightning's front left-hand tyre blew out, sending the champion racer tumbling into the air. The whole accident seemed to happen in slow motion for those watching it take place. Sally screamed when she saw Lightning flip over and roll three times before he tumbled into a tyre wall near the end of the home straight.

"No!" Sally screamed. "Lightning!" Craig and Jamie quickly held her back. All she could see was her beloved fiancé dented, damaged and unresponsive, half embedded in the tyre wall. It was her worst nightmare coming true…

 **Thank you everyone for your reviews. They're much appreciated. I've received some exciting news today. My boyfriend has secured our platinum tickets for the Ipswich 300 in two weeks! We went to the Gold Coast 600 last year, but sadly I missed out on meeting Craig and Jamie by just 10 minutes. So, this time, we've got seats in the second row of the main grandstand, plus a pit walk and a paddock pass! Eep! I'm just super excited right now! This is a dream come true for me! I can't wait. I'll probably be updating this story a lot during the next two weeks in anticipation, so watch this space, lol! Please keep the reviews coming too! They mean a lot to me.**


	14. Chapter 14 - The Reaction and Diagnosis

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 14 – The Reaction and the Diagnosis

 **Flo's V8 Café, Radiator Springs – 11 March 2015**

It was the start to a normal day in Radiator Springs. Flo was up early as usual, to open up her café. Before long, the rest of the townsfolk congregated outside the café for their breakfast. Inside the café, Flo had the morning news on the TV; purely as background noise while she prepared the breakfasts. But then, a report caught her attention.

"In breaking news, we're receiving reports out of Australia that champion Piston Cup racer, Lightning McQueen, has been involved in an accident at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. His current condition is unknown, but we do know that he has been taken to the Alfred Hospital for treatment. We'll bring you more updates as they come to us."

Shocked, Flo promptly dropped everything, and she drove outside. "Hey, everyone. I think you'd all better come and see this."

Curious, Elinor, Mater, Sherriff, Ramone, Luigi, Guido, Sarge, Fillmore, Red and Lizzie followed Flo inside the café.

"It's on the TV," Flo explained.

"Are you okay, Flo?" Elinor asked. "You're looking very pale."

"Elinor… I'm sorry, but I saw a newsflash. Lightning's had an accident," she added in a quiet, frightened voice.

Elinor also paled. "Flo, what did they say?" she gasped.

Flo was almost in tears. "They said that he'd been involved in an accident at the Australian Grand Prix, and that he'd been taken to hospital for treatment. It's breaking news, and they don't know anything else yet."

Elinor glanced at the others. They were also looking very anxious as they waited for the next news update. Mater looked especially upset. Elinor drew in a deep breath to try and calm herself. She felt ill in her tank, and her RPMs had shot right up.

 _It'll be okay. They're probably just exaggerating it, as usual. He's probably just got a few scrapes and bruises. Nothing to worry about…_

"Hey! It's on again," Sarge said, getting Elinor's attention.

"We'll return to our breaking news story now," the reporter said. "We can confirm that Champion Piston Cup racer, Lightning McQueen, has been involved in a serious accident at the Australian Grand Prix. We'll cross over live to R.S.N. reporter, Kori Turbowitz, who is following the story."

The TV screen went to duel screen, with the news reporter on the left, and Kori on the right. Kori was standing outside the Alfred Hospital, and from the darkness, Elinor guessed that it must be very late in Melbourne.

"Kori, can you please tell us what you know?" the reporter asked.

"Sure," Kori replied. "I'm standing outside the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, which is pretty much across the road from the Albert Park racing circuit, where Lightning had his accident earlier tonight. It is nearly midnight here right now, and the accident occurred at around eight o'clock local time. We haven't heard anything since Lightning was taken to hospital. The details of what happened are still unclear at this stage, but we do know that Lightning was racing against champion Formula One racer, Francesco Bernoulli, who is here for the Grand Prix. They were having an impromptu race out on the racetrack, when the accident occurred. Somehow, Lightning ended up flipping, and he rolled several times before he collided with a tyre wall. We also know that officials from CAMS – the Confederation of Australian Motorsport – have already launched an investigation into what happened here tonight."

"So, we don't yet know just how bad Lightning is then?"

Kori shook her front. "Not yet, I'm sorry. I'll do my best to keep you informed about further developments."

"All right, thank you, Kori."

Ramone switched off the TV. Nobody said anything for a moment, but then Mater burst into tears. Red tried to comfort him. Even Sherriff sniffled a little.

Elinor dialled Sally's phone. It rang three times before it cut out. She tried to phone her again, but this time Sally hung up after only one ring. Sighing with frustration, Elinor tried phoning Leyland. He answered after five rings.

"Hello?"

"Leyland! It's Elinor. I just saw the news about Lightning on the TV…"

"Sorry you had to find out that way."

"So, it's true?"

Leyland sighed heavily. "I'm afraid so."

Elinor forced herself to calm down. "How is he? Really?"

"They're still examining him. They say he's critical, but stable. Most of the injuries appear to be internal…"

"I see. I tried phoning Sally…"

"She's too upset to talk to anyone right now. I'm sorry. They've just taken him for another MRI scan. Most of the damage he sustained was to his roof."

Elinor drew in a sharp breath. As a nurse, she knew exactly how serious roof injuries were. The roof was the most vulnerable part of a car's body, because directly underneath it was the brain.

"Leyland, I don't care what you say, I'm catching the next available flight to Australia."

"I thought you would. Let me know when you arrive, and I'll send Dutto to meet you."

"Okay, thanks. See you soon."

Hanging up, Elinor turned to face the others. "I'm flying to Melbourne to be with my son. All of you are more than welcome to join me."

She didn't need to encourage anyone. They all wanted to go, except for Red and Lizzie, who volunteered to remain behind to look after the town.

…

Meanwhile, at the Alfred Hospital, Sally, Leyland, Craig, Jamie, Dutto, Davo, Grant, Dr Andrews, Francesco and a couple of CAMS officials were in the waiting room of the emergency department, waiting for news. Sally glanced at the clock. It was just after midnight.

"How much longer are they going to be?" she exclaimed so loudly that Jamie jumped.

"They'll take as long as they need to," Dr Andrews replied. "It isn't easy to diagnose possible brain injuries."

Sally whimpered. Then she turned angrily to Francesco. "Why? Why did you goad him into racing you?"

"It was-a only meant to-a be a bit of-a fun," Francesco replied sadly. "I-I d-didn't-a realise he wasn't-a wearing racing tyres…"

"But even so…! You chose to race at night with no supervision or safety precautions! What were you thinking?"

"Sally, please, calm down," Dutto said soothingly. "Getting upset at Francesco isn't going to change things. The CAMS officials are still carrying out their investigation, and we'll know more once they're finished."

At that moment, a doctor emerged from one of the hallways. He drove straight over to them.

"I'm Doctor Parks. I'm the emergency department's chief neurologist. Are any of you related to Mr McQueen?"

"I'm his fiancée," Sally replied.

Doctor Parks nodded. "What about the rest of you? Are you all just friends of his?"

"I'm his boss," Leyland said.

"And I'm the team's doctor," Dr Andrews added.

"Right, you three will do. Please, come with me."

Sally exchanged a worried glance with Leyland before she followed after the doctor.

A few minutes later, the three of them were settled in Dr Park's office. Dr Parks looked very grave.

"I won't lie to you. Lightning's condition is very serious at the moment. He has a lot of superficial injuries, but our main concern is the damage that's been done to his brain."

"What damage specifically?" Sally interrupted.

"Sally, Doctor Parks will tell us if you just give him a chance," Leyland said.

"Yes. He is extremely lucky though. Normally, this kind of accident would cause swelling on the brain, which is a life-threatening condition. However, we've taken three MRI scans of Lightning's brain over the past three hours, and so far there is no sign of any swelling. But that doesn't mean it won't happen. We'll be keeping a very close eye on him over the next twenty-four hours to monitor any changes. And, we'll be doing further scans every two hours. So far, parts of his brain are badly bruised, which means that he does have some significant brain damage."

"What's the best case scenario?" Leyland asked.

"The best case is that he wakes up, and shows no signs of brain damage."

"And…the worst case?" Sally asked fearfully.

"He remains in a coma for the rest of his life. I'm sorry. I know this is very hard to take right now, but I can't predict what will happen. Brains are such complex organs, and so far we're only able to understand a mere tenth of what they can do."

Sally nodded sadly. "Can we see him? Please?"

"Yes. I'll take you to his room."

All too soon, Sally found herself entering Lightning's hospital room. It was a private one at least, but nothing could've prepared her for what she saw in there.

Lightning was on a low bed in the middle of the room, connected up to half a dozen machines that beeped every few seconds. A forklift nurse was just writing down some notes on a chart. Lightning's eyes were loosely closed, but his jaw was clenched tightly. Sally choked back a sob. Even with her limited medical knowledge, she knew that a clenched jaw was an obvious sign of brain damage.

"I'll be staying with him for the rest of the night," the nurse told her gently. "You're welcome to stay too if you want."

Nodding, Sally drove closer to Lightning. Tears fell from her eyes as she carefully nuzzled his fender with her cheek.

"Please, come back to me, Stickers," she whispered earnestly. "Please. I need you to be with me."

There was no response from Lightning.

 **Thank you once again for your reviews. Please, keep them coming.**


	15. Chapter 15 - Waiting

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 15 - Waiting

 **Australian Grand Prix - Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne – Thursday, 12 March, 2015**

Leyland slammed the door closed furiously with his tyre. Inside the meeting room, the entire Redbulldozer Racing team flinched. It was about six-thirty in the evening, and the team had just finished packing up after spending the day undergoing two practice sessions and a qualifying round. However, it didn't take a genius to realise that Leyland was in a rage. He drove to the front of the room.

"What happened out there today?" he snapped. He glared straight at Craig and Jamie. "We were doing okay in practice and you were both improving, but then in the qualifying… What happened out there?"

"You know we've never done well at this track," Jamie ventured, risking Leyland's wrath.

"I DON'T WANT EXCUSES, JAMIE!" Leyland shouted, making him cringe. "You got ninth and Craig got thirteenth. THIRTEENTH! We're rarely outside the top ten after qualifying! Craig! Jamie! What happened?"

"We're worried about Lightning," Craig told him quietly. "We haven't heard anything about his condition all day. How can anyone expect us to be able to concentrate on racing, when our friend's life is in the balance?"

Leyland exhaled deeply, and he softened. "I know, and I'm sorry. Maybe that's what's got me on edge. Look, guys, I know we're all concerned about Lightning, but he's in the very best care that money can buy. All we can do right now is focus on racing while he heals. That's what's best for him right now – complete rest and quiet."

"I just wish we could do more than just wait," Jamie grumbled. "I feel so helpless!"

"Well, until he wakes up, there's very little we can do," Dutto sighed. "That reminds me, I need to head out to the airport to meet Lightning's mother and friends. They're arriving in a couple of hours, and I don't want to be late. You know how bad Melbourne's traffic is, especially in the CBD with all those trams. I'd better get going."

Leyland nodded, giving Dutto permission to leave. Once he had, Leyland sighed heavily. "Okay, guys. Change of plan. Forget about speed. Let's focus on improving our braking and overtaking skills. Perhaps it's fortunate that there's no points at stake during this event. Davo and Grant? Let's talk strategy with everyone now."

But before they could continue, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," Leyland called.

A CAMS official drove into the room. "Sorry to interrupt your team meeting, Mr Dane. I just thought you might like to see the preliminary results of the inquiry into Mr McQueen's accident last night." He passed a file over to Leyland. Then, he resumed talking while Leyland skimmed through the documents. "The accident was caused by Mr McQueen racing on non-regulation tyres. His front left one blew out, causing him to flip and then roll three times. We got the whole incident on the pit row security cameras. The footage will probably be leaked to the media by morning, so you need to be prepared for that just in case it is. Dr Parks was able to confirm that Mr McQueen's speed limiter had been manually disconnected. One of Mr Bernoulli's pit crew members, who also witnessed the accident, admitted that he'd disconnected the speed limiter with Mr McQueen's approval. Finally, Mr Bernoulli and Mr McQueen were racing on a restricted racetrack at night, without proper floodlights or any safety management, which is completely against CAMS rules. Therefore, we've decided that Mr Bernoulli will be banned from racing in the Australian Grand Prix this weekend. He's been very co-operative, and he deeply regrets what happened. He's even offered to pay all of Lightning's medical bills, but we'll leave that decision to his family. We're yet to decide on Mr McQueen's punishment. However, most of us feel that his injuries are punishment enough. Depending on how well he recovers, the worst he'll probably get from CAMS is a hefty fine."

"I see," Leyland replied, nodding slowly.

"Do you accept the inquiry's preliminary findings?"

"I do. Although I've very disappointed in Lightning. I would've thought that he knew better that this. I'll be seeking CAMS permission to give Lightning an inter-team punishment, once he recovers."

"Don't you mean, 'if' he recovers?"

"No. I mean 'when'. He will recover. He _has_ to."

…

Several hours later, at about nine o'clock in the evening, Sally was still inside the Intensive Care Unit of the Alfred Hospital, parked beside Lightning. She tenderly stroking his wheel with her tyre. She hadn't left his side since the accident night before, even to eat. A nurse drove into the room.

"I just need to check-up on him and change the drip," she told Sally quietly.

"Go ahead," Sally sighed. "There's been no change."

After the nurse had filled out Lightning's current condition on his chart, she set about replacing his drip. She'd almost finished when Dr Parks drove into the room, followed by Elinor.

"Elinor!" Sally gasped. "You arrived quickly."

"We caught a direct flight," she explained as both women kissed each other on the check in greeting. She turned to look at her son. "How is he?"

"There's been no change since he was admitted last night. Oh, Elinor! I'm so worried! What if he never wakes up?"

"Hush now," Elinor soothed. "Lightning's tough. He won't let something like this beat him."

"But what if he ends up like Michael Schumacher did? I…I still can't believe that this really happened to him. One minute, he was so vibrant and full of life, and the next…"

"Shh! Sally, look at me. Please."

Choking back a sob, Sally reluctantly did so.

"You need to be brave, for Lightning's sake. You'll worry him if he thinks you can't look after yourself."

"Yes," Sally sniffed. "W-where are the others?"

"In the waiting room across the hall. They're not allowed in here yet, because they're not family. Poor Mater's nearly beside himself. He wants to be with his best friend."

Sally exhaled deeply. "I was afraid of that."

"Oh, and Leyland, Dutto, Craig, Jamie and some others from the team are also in the waiting room. Leyland offered to shout dinner for everyone, but nobody's interested in eating right now."

The nurse finished hooking up the drip, and she turned to face Elinor. "Are you Mr McQueen's mother?"

"Yes."

"Ahh! I heard you were arriving sometime today. I thought it might help if you talk to him. Studies have shown that even as adults, children always respond to their mother's voice, even when they're in a coma. But don't get too excited if you see him twitch. That just means that he can hear you, and that he's listening to your voice. It doesn't mean he's about to wake up. But the twitching is still a good sign. It means that his brain is still active."

"I've heard that too," Elinor said sincerely. "But thank you for reminding me of it. I think I will try it."

Smiling a little, the nurse left them in peace.

Moving closer to Lightning, Elinor spoke softly to him. "Lightning? Sweetie? It's your mother here. Sally's here too. Remember Sally? Your beautiful fiancée?"

Sally blushed a little, but there was still no reaction from Lightning. Elinor decided to continue.

"Please, come back to us, sweetie. We need you. You're strong enough to come through this, so please. Please, give us a sign that you can hear us."

Lightning didn't move. Unable to take it anymore, Sally finally broke down. Disheartened, Elinor did her best to comfort her. But inside, she was crying too. She'd already lost two husbands, and now her only child's life hung in the balance. She didn't know how much more she could take.


	16. Chapter 16 - Lightning's Awakening

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 16 – Lightning's Awakening

 **Alfred Hospital, Melbourne – Monday, 16 March, 2015**

For the next three days, Lightning remained in a coma. Elinor and Sally never left his side unless it was absolutely necessary. The Radiator Springs townsfolk visited the Alfred Hospital during the day, returning to their hotel rooms each night. All of Lightning's superficial wounds had been repaired, and Ramone had kindly volunteered to repaint him, with Dr Parks' permission. It was the least Ramone could do for his injured friend. The others all wished they could do something like that for him too, but there was nothing else to be done except to wait.

Out on the racetrack, the Australian Grand Prix had been run and won. As had the V8 Supercars support races. However, things hadn't gone well for the Redbulldozer Racing team. Their best placing throughout the whole weekend was Jamie's fifth place in both the second and fourth races. Craig's weekend went from bad to worse, ending race four prematurely with a minor crash. He hadn't been badly hurt, but it was enough to knock him out of the race. Leyland knew the reason for the team's poor performance, and for once, he didn't blame them for it. Everyone was worried sick about Lightning.

Monday morning found everyone from Radiator Springs and most of the Redbulldozer racing team inside the small waiting room outside Lightning's hospital room. Looking through the windows, they watched anxiously as Lightning was returned to the room following yet another MRI scan. Sally and Elinor were already in Lightning's room, waiting for him to return.

"Have there been any developments, Dr Parks?" Elinor asked him as calmly as she could once Lightning was back in position in the middle of the room.

"Yes," Doctor Parks replied. "When we compared today's MRI scan with ones we took immediately following the accident, it's obvious that the bruising has decreased. I wouldn't be surprised if he decides to wake up soon."

"You've been saying that all weekend," Sally growled.

"I can only do so much," Dr Parks sighed. Then he left.

Elinor turned to Sally. "That was rude."

"The truth hurts sometimes," Sally sighed. She turned back to look at her fiancé. "Oh, Lightning! Please, just…wake up!"

Incredibly, Elinor thought she saw Lightning's eyelids flicker. "Sally! Shh!"

"Why?"

"Just be quiet, okay?" Pushing Sally aside, Elinor drove closer to Lightning. "Lightning?" she called. "Can you hear me?"

A soft moan escaped from Lightning's lips. Then, his eyelids fluttered more vigorously.

"Sally! Go and fetch Doctor Parks!" Elinor exclaimed.

Seeing Lightning's eyelids move, Sally raced out of the room.

…

A faint ringing sound echoed all around Lightning. Then the pain hit him, and he moaned softly in response to it. He could hear someone talking nearby, but he couldn't make out what they were saying to him. The voice sounded familiar to him though. He tried to ignore it, but it was replaced by a deeper and much louder voice. It took him a moment to figure out what the new voice was saying to him.

"Can you hear me?"

Lightning want to respond, and he tried, but he couldn't get the words out, so he just moaned again.

"Come on, sweetie," the familiar feminine voice persisted. "Please, wake up."

"Trying…" Lightning managed to whisper, ever so faintly. He wasn't sure if they'd heard him.

"I think he said something," the masculine voice said.

With a heavy groan, Lightning attempted to open his eyes. They felt unusually heavy, but he finally managed to open them a bit. With a heavy sigh, he opened his eyes wider, allowing them to adjust to the brightness around him. At first, all he could see was a brilliantly white haze with coloured blobs floating in it. Then, everything started to clear up. He could just make out a white SUV to his left, an elegant dark blue 1967 Mazda Cosmo on his right, and in between them was the most gorgeous metallic baby blue Porsche 911 that he'd ever seen. However, he felt to dizzy to really dwell on that.

"My name is Doctor Parks," the SUV said, introducing himself. "How are you feeling?"

"Dizzy," Lightning whispered hoarsely.

"I'm not surprised. You've been unconscious for the past five days."

"I have? Why?"

"You had an accident," the Cosmo explained.

"First things first," Dr Parks interrupted. "Can you tell me your name, please?"

Lightning closed his eyes as he tried to sort out his thoughts. All his memories were nothing more than a confused mess. It was like someone had thrown a stack of playing cards in the air, and they then expected him to find the Ace of Spades. It'd take him ages to gather his memories back together, and then file them away properly in his mind. Unable to even remember his name, he stared blankly at Dr Parks.

Dr Parks sighed sadly. "It's okay. Can you tell me your birthday, perhaps?"

Lightning tenderly shook his front. His head was really starting to hurt him now.

"Well, do you recognise who these ladies are?" Dr Parks asked, gesturing towards the two other cars with his tyre.

"No," Lightning moaned. He closed his eyes tightly. "My head really hurts."

"Okay, we'll let you go back to sleep," Dr Parks told him gently.

Lightning nodded slowly until he heard everyone leave the room. The comforting warmth of darkness quickly enveloped around him, sending him back into that place of peace where he felt no pain…

…

Inside the waiting room, Dr Parks, Elinor and Sally sadly joined the others. Sally was in tears, and Elinor was trying to comfort her.

"What is it, Doctor?" Sherriff asked anxiously.

"Yeah, what's happened?" Jamie added.

"Okay, I have some news," Dr Parks said. Everyone immediately fell silent to listen to what he had to say. "About five minutes ago, Lightning woke up."

"That's good though, ain't it?" Flo asked as everyone else breathed audible sighs of relief.

"Yes…and no. You see, the problem is-"

"He doesn't remember me!" Sally exclaimed through her tears.

"Calm down, Sally," Elinor soothed. "He didn't remember me either, and I'm his mother. How do you think I feel?"

"Yes," Sally whimpered. "I'm sorry, Elinor. I wasn't thinking."

"Is this true?" Leyland asked.

Dr Parks nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid so. Lightning does even remember his own name."

A collective gasp rose from the group. Mater also burst into tears.

"Ya mean, he don't remember me?"

"He doesn't remember anything right now," Dr Parks replied. "Unfortunately, there no way of knowing just how long his amnesia will last, or if he'll ever recover from it. All we can do is wait."

"That's all we have been doing," Sarge grumbled.

With a heavy sigh, Dr Parks left the waiting room. He took a quick look at Lightning. The race car seemed to be sleeping peacefully, so he made a mental note to make arrangements for Lightning to be moved out of the ICU. He no longer needed to be in there.

…

Later that night, Sally settled herself down beside Lightning to sleep. Elinor was already fast asleep nearby. Dr Parks had come by earlier to inform them that Lightning would be moved to a different ward the following morning, now that he was out of danger. Sally was glad of that, but she was also bitterly upset that Lightning had amnesia. She wasn't sure which was worse – Lightning being unconscious, or Lightning with amnesia. She just wished he'd recover quickly so they could get on with their lives.

Since sleep had escaped Sally for the moment, she decided to switch on the TV, but she ensured the volume was kept down low. By pure coincidence, the first images she saw was the security camera footage of Lightning's crash.

"As the Champion America racer, Lightning McQueen, continues his recovery in the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, new footage has emerged of the moment he crashed at the Albert Park Raceway almost a week ago," the reporter was saying.

Cringing when she saw Lightning's tyre blow out, Sally quickly switched off the TV. Clearly, that wasn't going to help her get to sleep. Instead, she nuzzled closer to Lightning. In the quiet of the room, she could hear his gentle, relaxed breathing. It was such a contrast to the hyperactive Lightning she'd come to love. But the sound was so blissfully rhythmical that it soon sent her off to sleep.

…

Early the following morning, Lightning slowly woke up, and he stared around the room, confused and somewhat frightened. Seeing Elinor parked nearby, he called out to her.

"Mum? Mum!"

Elinor and Sally both awoke with a start. Elinor instinctively dashed over to him.

"Calm down, sweetie," she soothed. "You're okay. Don't panic."

"Wh-where am I?"

"You're in the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne," Elinor calmly explained as Sally pressed the nurse's call button. "Just calm down, please. You had an accident, and you need to rest."

Lightning shook himself hard. Seeing the machines connected to him, he panicked even more, and he attempted to reverse. Two nurses burst inside the room, promptly followed by Dr Parks.

"Please, just settle down, or we'll have to sedate you," one of the nurses threatened, while the other fastened a wheel clamp onto Lightning's front right-hand wheel.

"Hey!" Lightning protested, and he revved his engine aggressively.

"Okay, feisty tyres," Dr Parks chuckled. "Before I let you go anywhere, I just want to ask you some questions. What's your name?"

Lightning stopped fighting, surprised. "You mean, you don't know who I am?"

" _I_ do. I just want to find out if _you_ know who you are."

"Pfft! I'm Lightning McQueen."

"What's you're middle name?"

"Blaze."

"Your date of birth?"

"Why should I tell you that?"

"Because I'm a doctor, and I've spent the last six days looking after you. I'm just testing your memory, considering you couldn't remember a thing yesterday…"

Lightning frowned thoughtfully. "What happened yesterday?"

"You don't remember waking up?" Sally asked, shocked.

Lightning shook his front.

"Okay," Dr Parks continued. "Please tell me your date of birth."

"The twelfth of January, nineteen eighty-eight."

"Good. Do you remember who these ladies are?"

"Of course. That's my mother, Elinor, and that's Sally. My fiancée."

Sally's smile broke into a joyful grin. Her precious Stickers had come back to her! She didn't need Dr Parks to tell her that.

"And what's your occupation?"

"Race car," Lightning replied, and he chuckled softly.

"Good. And finally, what's the last thing you remember?"

Lightning's smile turned into a thoughtful frown. 'I can't remember," he muttered. "I remember travelling to Melbourne, and then getting ready for the Australian Grand Prix ball, but after that, it's really hazy."

"That's fine," Dr Parks assured him. "Don't stress your brain by thinking about it too much. I think it's had enough stimulation for now. I have just one more question for you. Do you remember your accident at all?"

"No. Is that what happened to me?"

"We told you that yesterday," Elinor pointed out.

"Yes, you were in an accident at the racetrack," Dr Parks told him, ignoring Elinor's comment.

"Did it happen during a race?"

"No. At least, it wasn't an official one. Never mind about that now. We're going to move you out of ICU now. When we get you to your new room, I'll give you a sedative so you can rest. Your brain is still bruised, and it needs more time to heal up completely."

"But, I'm not allowed to have sedatives," Lightning pointed out. "Racing rules."

"It'll be out of your system long before your next race," Dr Parks assured him. "I understand that you're not racing again until the first week of May. It's still only March."

"Okay then," Lightning reluctantly agreed. He flashed the doctor a small smile. "Sorry I freaked out before."

"That's okay. You woke up in a completely unfamiliar place, so it was a perfectly natural reaction. I just hope you'll be more relaxed now though."

Lightning nodded slowly.

"Right. Let's go and get you settled in your new room now. All your friends are outside, waiting to see you."

"Really? Which friends?"

"All our friends from back home," Sally told him happily. "Except for Red and Lizzie. They stayed behind to look after the town. Mater and Sherriff have been especially worried about you. Can he see them now, Doctor Parks?"

"Not right now. Maybe later this afternoon. We don't want to wear out poor Lightning. As I said, he needs to rest now."

"Lightning yawned.

"See? He's already exhausted. Let's leave the nurses to prepare Lightning for the trip to his new room. We'll be back in a few minutes, Lightning."

"Okay," Lightning muttered sleepily.

"From the looks of it, he probably won't need the sedative after all," Dr Parks told Sally and Elinor as they entered the empty waiting room.

…

A few hours later, Dr parks addressed all of Lightning's friends again. "Well, I have some good news, and some bad news for you all. I'll give you the good news first. The good news is that Lightning's going to make a full recovery."

Everyone cheered with delight.

"Wha's da bad news den?" Mater asked.

"The bad news is that Lightning's personality is exactly the same as it was before his accident," Dr Parks joked. This produced a few chuckles, but then Dr Parks continued. "Seriously though, it's more than likely that Lightning will never be able to remember his accident. That is very common after serious brain injuries. In a way, it's good, because it won't affect him negatively. Unfortunately, it means that we'll never be able to truly know his version of events leading up to the accident. I've alerted CAMS officials to that fact, but they're still insisting on interviewing him as soon as possible."

"Doctor Parks," Leyland said. "Will Lightning still be able to race for us in Perth?"

"I'd have him thoroughly assessed by a CAMS doctor before that decision is made. When I release him from here, he'll be able to drive normally, but I wouldn't let him race until he's been officially cleared."

Leyland nodded in understanding. "Guess this means we'll be going to Tasmania without him. I'm just glad to know he'll be okay."

"We all are," Sally agreed.

 **Thanks for the reviews everyone! I'm so glad everyone's enjoying this story so far. Please, keep the reviews coming!**


	17. Chapter 17 - Consequences

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 17 - Consequences

 **Alfred Hospital, Melbourne – Wednesday, 18 March, 2015**

Lightning licked his lips nervously. Dr Parks and all the nurses looking after him kept telling him that he was recovering well, and that he was very lucky to not have permanent brain damage following his accident at Albert Park, but that wasn't what was worrying Lightning now.

Inside the hospital room with him was Dr Parks, Leyland, Dutto, Francesco and two CAMS officials. They were all here for Lightning's interview, so that the officials could finalise their investigation. Lightning had never felt quite so vulnerable before. He still had no recollection of the accident, but after being told about Francesco's punishment, he was concerned about what the officials had in store for him.

One of the officials spoke up. "Mr McQueen. Before we begin, we must let you know that this interview is being recorded for further reference. If you have a problem with that, please feel free to say so now."

Lightning remained silent. At the first official's nod, his colleague began the recording. The first official continued.

"Do you know why we're all here today?"

"Yes. Leyland… Uh, Mr Dane, has explained it all to me."

"Good. Dr Parks has explained your current condition to us, so we'll try to keep this as brief as possible. Can you tell us your version of the events that occurred on the evening of March eleven?"

"Uh… I arrived at the Australian Grand Prix ball at around seven-thirty with my fiancée, Miss Sally Carrera. Shortly after we arrived, I met up with Mr Bernoulli. We had a conversation, but I don't remember what we said to each other."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I don't remember much after I arrived at the ball."

"I see… Well, let's try and jolt your memory. Do you remember Mr Bernoulli goading you into racing against him?"

"No."

"Do you remember his pitty disabling your speed limiter?"

"No."

"Do you remember racing against Mr Bernoulli at all?"

"No."

"You don't even remember how you crashed? Or the accident itself?"

Lightning was starting to get rather distressed. "No! I told you, I don't remember anything! I wish I could, but I don't."

The other official drove closer to his colleague. "He's telling the truth," Lightning heard him whisper. The first official nodded before continuing.

"All right, Mr McQueen. We've already been informed by Dr Parks that you may never remember the events of your accident. However, just because you can't remember it, that doesn't mean you'll escape punishment. As you're probably aware, we have footage of your accident that was captured on the pit row security cameras. Mr Bernoulli has also admitted that he was entirely responsible for you being out on the racetrack. Because of that, he's offered to pay for all of your medical bills. Your mother has accepted that offer on your behalf. Mr Bernoulli was also banned from racing in the Australian Grand Prix by the Grand Prix officials, and he had a hundred points removed from his total points score. Now, it's time for us to hand down your punishment. We've decided to fine you for being out on a restricted racetrack without official supervision or the proper safety measures being in place. We've already fined Mr Bernoulli a hundred thousand Australian dollars for that same reason, but since he's admitted to being mostly to blame, we'll be fining you fifty thousand Australian dollars. Do you have anything to say?"

"No."

"Do you accept the punishment?"

"Yes, I do."

"Good. Then it's time for us to finalise our investigation." The first official nodded to his colleague, who stopped the recording. He turned back to face Lightning. "Thank you very much for your time, Mr McQueen. We wish you a speedy recovery."

"Thank you."

The officials left. Francesco also started to follow them, but then he turned back to face Lightning. He was clearly feeling emotional.

"I'm-a sorry, McQueen," he whispered. "I didn't-a expect it to-a end-a like-a this."

"It wasn't your fault, Francesco," Lightning sighed. "And I don't blame you for what happened. Please, don't blame yourself either. These things just happen in racing. We both know that. You didn't make my tyre blow out. If you had, I probably wouldn't be talking to you right now."

Nodding, Francesco also left the room. Lightning looked at Leyland and Dutto.

"Can I go back to sleep now?" he asked tiredly.

"Not just yet," Leyland frowned. "You see, we have a little problem regarding your contract with us."

Lightning immediately felt sick in his tank. "What problem?"

Dutto placed the contract Lightning had signed down in front of him.

"Lightning," Leyland continued. "Do you remember when you signed this contract, how I made it very clear to you that if you were injured in an activity outside of an official race, whereby you are unable to race, I have the right to sack you."

Lightning gulped.

"Just so you know, Craig and Jamie also have the same clause in their contracts," Leyland continued. "Look, I'm sorry this has happened to you, but I need to be fair to everyone. Basically, if you're unable to race in Perth, I'll have to make a tough decision. If, in the end, I don't decide to sack you, I'll have to find another means of punishing you. And it won't be pleasant, believe me. Despite your injuries, you broke the rules, and I cannot be seen to condone that. Anyway, that's all I have to say for now. You have about six weeks to make a full recovery, understood?"

"Yes, Leyland," Lightning whispered sadly. Then, overcome with exhaustion, he promptly fell asleep.

Dr Parks frowned when he saw how quickly Lightning fell asleep. He turned to Leyland and Dutto.

"You shouldn't have said that to him right now," he admonished. "I know he doesn't look it, but he is in an incredibly delicate condition right now. I don't want anyone saying something to him that'll worry him. His brain needs to rest. In fact, I'm even considering putting him in an induced coma for a couple of weeks, to give the bruising more time to heal."

"I thought you said he was doing well?" Leyland replied.

"He is. But that doesn't mean you can just say what you want to him. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other patients to see."

…

In the end, Dr Parks found that he didn't need to put Lightning into an induced coma. The race car behaved himself so well, that he didn't even need to be sedated. That surprised everyone; especially Sally, who knew just how frustrated Lightning could be whenever he was hospitalised.

"You don't suppose the brain injury Lightning sustained could've caused his personality to change, do you?" Sally asked Dr Parks one morning. They were in the doctor's office, and Dr Parks was carefully examining Lightning's latest MRI scans that had been taken earlier that morning.

"It's possible," Dr Parks mused. "But I don't believe that's the case with Lightning."

"You don't?"

Dr Parks shook his front. "I'll let you in on a little secret. Leyland told Lightning that if he doesn't make a full recovery before his next race, he could get kicked off the team."

Sally's eyes widened as the realisation dawned on her. Then she laughed. "Now that all makes sense! Lightning's co-operating with you because he wants to ensure he's fully recovered so that doesn't happen."

Dr Parks just winked at her.

…

A few days later, the Redbulldozer team left for their Championship races in Tasmania. Lightning was glad he still had over a month to recover before his next Development Series races in Perth. It would give him plenty of time to sufficiently recover.

Also, now that it was clear the Lightning was well and truly on the road to recovery, Elinor and all of his Radiator Springs friends decided that it was time for them to return home. Sally wasn't sure if they should, but Elinor reminded her that they'd be back at the end of May for the wedding. Lightning was sorry to see his friends leave, and while it was hard saying goodbye to them, he struggled to hold back his tears when he bid farewell to his mother.

"Just be careful, you hear?" Elinor told him, shortly before she left the hospital to go to the airport. "I don't want to be at your bedside again anytime soon."

"I don't want to put you through that again either, mum," Lightning replied sincerely. "Have a good flight, and I'll see you again soon."

"Stay in touch."

"I will."

 **Thank you so much for the reviews everyone! Sorry this chapter's so short, but I've returned to uni this week, and so I haven't had much time for writing. I'll try to do some more before I go to see the Ipswich 300 this weekend. Still super excited about that! The weekend can't come fast enough for me!**


	18. Chapter 18 - Fire!

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 18 – Fire!

 **Lightning and Sally's rented property, Kallangur, 31kms north of Brisbane - 2 April, 2015**

Lightning was discharged from the Alfred Hospital during the last week of the month. Dr Parks had only agreed to discharge him on the condition that he obeyed all of his orders. Lightning, who was relaxing under the veranda of his and Sally's rented house, ran through the Dr Park's instructions in his mind.

He wasn't allowed to drive over 100 kilometres an hour. He wasn't allowed to race until he'd been cleared by the V8 Supercars chief doctor, but he was allowed to undertake supervised light exercise to help him maintain his fitness. He also had to try and get as much rest as possible, and avoid stressful situations.

Looking around at the property, Lightning sighed heavily. He'd only been home for three days, and already he was bored. But, he had to admit that the sunset he was looking at was spectacular.

Sally joined Lightning out on the veranda. "I heard you sigh. Are you okay?"

"Sally, for the past two and a half weeks, I've had everyone fly into a panic even if they so much as hear me breathe! Please, stop it. I'm getting sick of it."

Sally cringed. "Sorry. I'm just worried about you, that's all." She drove closer to the railing. "Look at that view! Whoever said America was God's country obviously had no idea that something even more spectacular existed."

"Well, I must admit that the view just improved," Lightning chuckled.

Glancing in her rear-view mirrors, Sally saw that Lightning was staring at her rear bumper. She promptly spun around to face him.

"Lightning Blaze McQueen! I-." She got no further, because Lightning had planted his lips against hers. They kissed passionately for several minutes.

"You were saying?" Lightning asked as they finally broke off the kiss.

"I forget…" Sally replied, almost in a daze. She gave her front a shake, as if she was scolding herself. "Come inside, Stickers. We don't want the bugs annoying you again. We also need to finalise the wedding venue."

Lightning reluctantly followed Sally inside.

"You never told me how Jamie and Craig did in Tasmania," Sally said as she began preparing hot chocolate drinks for them both.

"Actually, it went really well for them. Craig ended up winning the first two sprint races, and Jamie won the two hundred kilometre race on the Sunday. Craig would probably have won that last race, but he and Reynolds had a disagreement at turn one, and Craig was black flagged. He ended up finishing sixth though."

"So, it was a good weekend for the team then?"

"Yeah. I just wish I could've gone with them," Lightning added despondently.

"Don't worry. You have until the start of May to make a full recovery. Now, let's get settled in front of the fire. I have some wedding magazines for you to look at."

Before long, Lightning and Sally were settled down in the lounge room, snuggling up into front of the blazing fireplace. It wasn't really cold enough for a fire, but it was very romantic. Especially with the hot chocolate and marshmallows they savoured.

"I really want to have an outdoor wedding," Sally told Lightning as they looked through the magazines.

"That's what I'd like to have too," Lightning agreed. "But somewhere completely private, please. I don't want anyone snooping from a distance. Especially journalists."

"Hmm… How about this place? Rosellas at Springbrook in the Gold Coast hinterland? It looks stunning and it's completely private."

Lightning looked at the pictures in the magazine. "That looks perfect! But, can you book it at such short notice?"

Sally chuckled. "It's already been booked."

"What?"

"Elinor helped me select three possible wedding venues, and we booked all three of them as soon as we'd set the date. All we need to do now is cancel the other two and let Rosellas know exactly what we want."

Lightning chuckled. "You're so smart!"

Sally blushed. Then she snuggled up closer to Lightning. "I love you Stickers."

"I love you too, beautiful."

"I can't wait for our honeymoon."

"Mmm… Two weeks at the Whitsunday Islands… I can feel the sand beneath my tyres already."

Sally chuckled. "I'm so glad Craig told us how good the islands were for honeymooners. He's been really good to you, hasn't he?"

"Yes. Well, our backgrounds are very similar, so we have a lot in common."

"Really? I didn't know that."

"Just stop talking for now, and let me listen to your little engine purr…"

"Oh! Lightning!" Sally squealed. But then they snuggled up together.

The warmth of the fire and the hot chocolate they'd drunk soon made the happy couple feel drowsy. Before long, they'd drifted off to sleep.

While Lightning and Sally slept, a rogue spark escaped from the fireplace, and it landed on the very edge of one of the wedding magazines, which were spread out on the floor. At first, it appeared to extinguish itself, but a thin trail of smoke lingered. Minutes later, a larger flame ignited and it began consuming the pages of the magazine. Seconds later, the multiplied flames began to spread to the rug that Lightning and Sally were parked on…

…

A loud crackle woke Sally suddenly. The familiar, acrid smell of smoke filled her air filters and lungs, making it difficult for her to breathe. Opening her eyes, she was shocked to see flames already consuming the rug in front of her. Flames had also started climbing up the walls and consuming the delicate lace curtains.

"No!" she gasped, and then she started coughing. For a moment, she thought she was having a nightmare, but the heat of the flames was real enough. Glancing to her left, she saw that Lightning was still fast asleep. The flames were dangerously close to him. "Lightning! Wake up!" Sally called desperately. Lightning didn't respond.

Sally whimpered as the realisation dawned on her. The smoke must have already started suffocating him. Sally glanced around. The back doorway was still free of flames, but there was no way she'd be able to push him to safety. He was far too heavy for her. Sally took another look at her fiancé. She had two choices – she could either leave Lightning to go and call for help, or she could stay with him and keep trying to wake him up. But whichever decision she made, the consequences were more than likely to be fatal.

"Lightning!" Sally shouted desperately. "Wake up! Please! There's a fire!"

Lightning didn't move. Taking a deep breath, Sally made her choice. She'd rather die with him than live her life without him.

With tears streaming from her eyes, Sally pressed herself against Lightning's side. Her thoughts drifted to all of their friends back in Radiator Springs as she watched as the flames grow closer and intensify. She could already imagine the headlines: 'Champion Racer and Fiancée Found Dead in House Fire'. She could also imagine everyone's grief; especially poor Elinor's…

Had it really come to this?

 **Thank you so much for the reviews. Please, keep them coming. Although I don't know exactly how this story will end, I do have the basic plot in mind. Things will get more romantic soon, I promise!**

 **I'm so excited right now! Tomorrow, I'll be at the Ipswich 300! Things got a bit fiery during the Development Series qualifying yesterday, but I won't spoil the story. You'll just have to keep reading! Enjoy!**


	19. Chapter 19 - The Fire's Aftermath

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 19 – The Fire's Aftermath

 **Lightning and Sally's rented property, Kallangur, 31kms north of Brisbane – 1am, 3 April, 2015**

Sally shook herself. The flames were now starting to lick at Lightning's side. She couldn't let them die like this. She HAD to wake him! Taking a deep breath, Sally sounded her horn louder than she ever had before.

Lightning awoke with a yelp. Feeling the flames starting to burn his side, he instinctively drove out of the way. Dazed, he stared at the flames that were now beginning to engulf the roof.

"Sally…" he gasped, but then he coughed violently.

"Get outside!" Sally shouted above the roar of the flames. "NOW!"

"Get the box!" Lightning shouted back as he drove into the kitchen.

Sally froze momentarily before hurrying into their bedroom to collect the box where they kept all of their important papers, documents and passports. She returned to the lounge room to find Lightning trying desperately to extinguish the flames with a fire extinguisher.

"Leave it, Lightning!" Sally ordered urgently. "It's too late! We have to get out of here!"

A loud 'crack!' sounded above them. Realising that the roof was about to collapse, Lightning and Sally bolted for the doorway. They got out just in time. Seconds later, the entire lounge room roof collapsed, landing right where they'd been sleeping only minutes earlier.

Outside, Lightning and Sally stood quietly for a moment, while they tried to get their breath back. Then Lightning began coughing terribly. Horrified, Sally started to approach him, but he shook his front.

"Phone…fire…brigade…" Lightning managed to whisper between coughs.

Sally was about to dial 911, when she stopped. "I-I don't know what the emergency number is for Australia."

Lightning didn't appear to hear her. He was too focused on trying to breathe. Sally was just about to drive to one of the neighbours for help, when help came to them. Sally squinted as the approaching headlights coming up the driveway nearly blinded her.

"Are you both okay?" someone asked. It was their elderly neighbour, Rick. He quickly took in the situation. "Is there anyone else still inside the house?"

"No," Sally replied. "But I don't know the number for the emergency services."

"It's triple zero."

Sally quickly dialled the number. Ricky cautiously approached Lightning, who was starting to panic.

"Calm down," Rick soothed. "You'll only suffocate yourself if you panic. Just focus on taking slow, even breaths. That's it."

Lightning started to calm down, but then he began coughing violently again. Rick frowned when, in the light of his headlights, he saw a fleck of black froth fly out of Lightning's mouth. Instinct told him that the black froth wasn't good. He drove over to Sally, who was still on the phone with the emergency services.

"We'll need an ambulance," he told Sally.

Glancing with concern over at Lightning, Sally passed the message on to the dispatcher.

It didn't take long for the first firetruck to arrive. He immediately began dousing the flames. While Sally and Lightning watched their beloved house burn, they silently thought about the items that they hadn't been able to rescue. For Lightning, it was all of his expensive training equipment. Sure, it could all be replaced, and luckily Dutto had copies of all his training results backed up on his computers at home and at the Triple Eight headquarters. He was also grateful that he'd agreed to leave his trophies at the team's headquarters. They were irreplaceable. Meanwhile, tears streamed down Sally's bonnet when she realised she'd been unable to save her beautiful new wedding veil. She'd had it custom made to her taste, and it had arrived only a week earlier. It had been a one-off design and was irreplaceable. But when she glanced over at Lightning, she realised that it didn't matter. So long as she and Lightning were both alive, material possessions counted for nothing. Lightning was still coughing, but he paused long enough to glance at Sally. Their eyes met briefly as they both realised just how lucky they'd been.

Before long, another firetruck arrived, along with two police cars, an ambulance and a paramedic. The paramedic went straight over to Lightning, who had resumed coughing. Rick was still with him.

"He's been coughing up black mucus," Rick explained to the paramedic.

"Sounds like severe smoke inhalation," the paramedic diagnosed. "We'd better get him to hospital." She gently placed a silver foil sheet over Lightning, to help keep him warm and prevent shock. "Mr McQueen? Do you think you're capable of driving?"

Lightning nodded before descending into another coughing fit. Sighing pitifully, the paramedic signalled for the ambulance to join them. Rick and the paramedic helped Lightning get into the back of the ambulance. Once Lightning was settled, the paramedic gave him a respirator to breathe through. The extra oxygen helped, and after a few minutes, Lightning began to dose off.

"He's stabilised," the paramedic told the ambulance. She drove over to Sally, who was busy talking to the police about what happened. The paramedic also placed a silver foil sheet around Sally. "Mr McQueen's been stabilised," she informed them. "He's suffering from severe smoke inhalation. We'll know more once we get him to hospital. Is there anyone we should contact?"

"I'm just about to phone a friend of theirs now," one of the policemen answered.

The paramedic nodded. "We're taking Mr McQueen to the Royal Brisbane Hospital."

"I'm coming with you," Sally insisted. She still had the box she'd managed to rescue. "I've given the police the property owner's contact details, and he's already on his way here. Luckily, the house was insured, so he'll be able to rebuild. But it looks like Lightning and I will have to find somewhere else to live," she added sadly.

"You're both alive," the other policemen reminded her. "That's far more important than anything else."

"Yes," Sally agreed. She turned to the paramedic. "Let's go."

…

Loud ringing woke Leyland suddenly. Groaning sleepily, he slammed his tyre down on his alarm clock. However, the ringing continued. Groaning again as he realised that it was his phone ringing, he reluctantly answered it.

"Hello?" he muttered heavily.

"Mr Leyland Dane?" a masculine voice said.

"Speaking," Leyland replied as he tried to wake up properly.

"This is Detective Martin. I've phoning because I'm currently supervising the investigation into a house fire that occurred at the home of one of your friends tonight."

Leyland was confused. "I'm sorry?"

"Miss Sally Carrara told us that you were the best person to contact about this."

 _Sally_. Suddenly everything fell into place. "Oh, my goodness!" Leyland exclaimed. For a moment, he feared the worst. "Are they okay?"

"Miss Carrera and Mr McQueen both escaped the fire," Detective Martin assured him. "But they've both been taken to the Royal Brisbane Hospital. The paramedic who attended said that Mr McQueen had severe smoke inhalation. Miss Carrera didn't appear to be injured."

"Thanks the manufacturer!" Leyland whispered. Then, louder, he said, "Thank you, detective. I'll go to the hospital now. Do you know how the fire started?"

"I'm afraid that is still under investigation."

"Okay. Whatever you do, don't let the media find out about this, please. They'll have a field day!"

"I understand."

Leyland hung up, but then he quickly phoned Craig. Craig answered groggily after about eight rings.

"Leyland? Why on earth are you ringing me at this hour?"

"Lightning and Sally's house burned down. I'm heading to the Royal Brisbane Hospital right now to see how they are."

Craig gasped. "I'm coming too!" he said before hanging up.

Before he left his home, Leyland also phoned Jamie and Dutto, passing on the same message. They all promised to meet him at the hospital.

…

About two hours later, Sally drove into the emergency room waiting room to find Leyland, Craig, Jamie and Dutto waiting there for news. Leyland breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her.

"Thank goodness you're safe!" he said as they gathered around her. "How's Lightning?"

"He has severe smoke inhalation, so they're keeping him here at least overnight for observation," Sally explained. "He's breathing much better now, and he's resting quietly, which is why I decided to come and tell you now. Lightning does have a minor burn patch on his left-hand side, but it's only superficial, so they're not concerned about it. We've also been diagnosed with mild shock, but we'll be okay."

"Do you know how the fire started?" Dutto asked.

Sally shook her front. "I told the detective that we'd had a fire going in the fireplace when we fell asleep, so they believe that might be a possible cause."

"So, you don't believe it was arson?"

Sally's eyes widened with surprise. "I-I never even considered that…" she said slowly.

"It's okay, Sally," Leyland soothed. He shot Dutto a cold glare.

"Would you both like to stay with me until you can find somewhere else to rent?" Craig asked her kindly.

"Oh, Craig, we couldn't impose…" Sally protested.

"You won't be. My house has been far too quiet since my wife…" Craig sighed sadly. Sally immediately felt sorry for him.

"Thank you, Craig. We'll be happy to accept your offer. I'd better get back to Lightning now. He might panic if he wakes up and I'm not there."

"Are we allowed to come with you?" Leyland asked.

Sally hesitated, but then a nurse nodded. "Ten minutes only," the nurse said.

Leyland, Craig, Jamie and Dutto followed Sally to the room Lightning was in. Hearing them come in, Lightning slowly opened his eyes. Since he had the respirator in his mouth, be was unable to speak, but Sally could see the corners of his mouth twitching as he tried to smile. Obviously, he wanted to reassure everyone that he was okay.

"Craig's offered to let us stay with him for a while, until we can find somewhere else to live," Sally told him. "I don't want you to worry about anything. We're both okay. That's what's important."

Lightning locked his eyes on Sally's. Then, they heard him trying to speak around the respirator. Sally moved closer to him so she could hear. All she could make out was 'um'. It took her a moment to translate what he meant.

"I'll go and phone Elinor now," she told him. "Just relax and try to get some sleep."

Nodding, Lightning slowly closed his eyes. Sally, Leyland, Craig, Jamie and Dutto quietly left the room.

"Thanks for coming here, everyone," Sally told the others. "I really appreciate the support."

"It's the least we can do," Leyland told her. "Mind you, that phone call from the detective really frightened me. I'd greatly appreciate it if you could do your best to keep Lightning out of trouble for a while."

"I'll do my best," Sally promised.

 **Thanks again for the reviews. Sorry I took a while to update. The Ipswich 300 was incredible! I finally got to actually meet Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup! I even got a small hug from Craig! We also got to have a tour of the Nissan team's pit garage, which was absolutely amazing! They even had a life-sized model of Lightning McQueen there! Hehe! That was one of the best days of my life! But you'll have to keep reading if you want to know what happened out on the track...**


	20. Chapter 20 - Discussions

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 20 – Discussions

 **Leyland's penthouse apartment, Brisbane CBD - 4 April, 2015**

Lightning sighed tiredly as he stared out over the city of Brisbane from the balcony of Leyland's penthouse. He'd only been released from hospital earlier that morning, and he hadn't had much sleep the night before. Now that the excitement of the fire had passed, he'd started to feel rather stressed. While he knew that Craig had offered him and Sally a temporary home, other things had started to worry him. Things like his future with Redbulldozer Racing and his upcoming wedding. And now, he couldn't even get through to his own mother to talk to her. He'd had to leave a message for her.

Inside the penthouse, Leyland, Dutto, Grant and Davo were gathered around a table, going through some data from Craig and Jamie's last training session. Sally was parked nearby, quietly reading an e-book on one of Leyland's spare computers. She glanced up to see Lightning pacing up and down on the balcony.

"Leyland?" she said softly during a pause in the conversation.

"Yes, Sally?"

Sally nodded towards the balcony. "I'm worried about Lightning. He's been very restless all morning. Normally, I only see him pacing when he's stressed."

"Being nearly burned alive in a house fire would be enough to unsettle anyone," Grant said.

Leyland sighed. "I'll talk to him later, okay, Sally?

At that moment, Dutto and Davo's phones both beeped, indicating that they'd received a new text message. Simultaneously, they looked at their phones.

"Mine's from Jamie," Davo announced.

"Same," Dutto said, then he chuckled. "Looks like you'll have to fork out for some new gym equipment for him, Leyland." He showed Leyland the picture Jamie had sent to him. Leyland's eyes widened in disbelief.

"How on earth did he manage to break that?"

"What did he break?" Sally wondered.

"His set of weights. The chain broke. It's rated for five tonnes! But he's not allowed to lift more than a tonne."

"Obviously the kid doesn't know his own strength," Dutto added. He put his phone aside. "Sally, have the police gotten back to you yet about what caused the fire?"

"Yes. They suspect that a spark from the fireplace set the rug alight. They're treating it as an accident though. The owner has decided to knock down what's left of the house and rebuild." A tear escaped from Sally's eyes. Seeing it, Leyland drove over to her.

"Sally? Is everything really okay?"

"No. I lost my wedding veil in the fire. I know I can have it replaced, but it won't be the same because it was a one-off that I had made up for me especially. It contained lace from my grandmother's wedding veil." And with that, Sally finally broke down.

Leyland froze, unsure of what to do. He wasn't used to dealing with women's emotional breakdowns, and he certainly didn't want to do anything that might upset Lightning. None of them realised that Lightning was watching and listening to them from the doorway. A tear also tumbled from his eyes. Sally was always so strong and brave, so it hurt Lightning to see that she was hurting. He wanted to do something to help her. But before he could go and try to comfort her, his phone rang. Seeing that it was his mother phoning, he quickly answered it.

"Mum?"

"Lightning! Thanks goodness you're safe! Sorry I didn't answer before. I was in the middle of treating a patient."

"That's okay. Mum, I was just wondering if you still have your wedding veil. The one from when you married dad, not Doc."

"I think I might still have it. It'll be at the penthouse if it hasn't been thrown out. Why do you want it?"

"Sally lost her wedding veil in the fire. I was wondering if she could borrow yours. Please?"

"If your aunt can find it, Sally's more than welcome to use it. I don't know if she'd want to use an old veil though. You can easily afford to buy her a new one."

"Sally's veil had some lace from her grandmother's veil in it. She values the sentimentality. Plus, she's chosen a vintage theme for our wedding, so your veil will be a perfect replacement. I know it won't be the same, but it'll be better than a brand new one."

"Oh, I see. Well, I can always phone your aunt…"

"It's okay, mum. I'll phone her. And thanks. I really appreciate this."

"Are you quite sure you're okay?"

"Yes, mum!"

"Lightning! Don't snap at me, young man!"

"Sorry mum. I'm just feeling really stressed right now. I'd better go before I say something I'll regret. Bye."

"Okay. Bye."

After he'd hung up, Lightning phoned his Aunt May in New York City. She answered rather quickly.

"Hello? I'm sorry I can't talk for long, I'm just on my way out."

"And who might you be meeting this time, Aunt May?" Lightning teased. "Do you finally have a mysterious boyfriend you're not telling me about?"

"Lightning!" Aunt May squealed excitedly. "I was just on my way to dinner with some of my friends, but they can wait. How are you? I heard about the fire."

"I'm okay. I was released from hospital a couple of hours ago. Listen, I need you to do something for me, please?"

"Anything for my favourite nephew."

"I'm you're only nephew," Lightning chuckled. He then told her his plan to offer Sally his mother's wedding veil for the wedding.

"Aww! That's so sweet of you, Lightning. I'll be sure to have a good look for it. I'll let you know if I find it, but I haven't seen it since your parents' wedding, so I'd advise you to arrange another veil for Sally, just in case."

"Okay, thanks. I will. And, I promise you that we're both okay."

"You sound a bit upset."

"Yeah, I had a bit of a fight with mum. She was nagging me. Again…"

"All mothers do that to their children. Cut her a bit of slack. She's just worried about you. And she has good reason to worry!"

"Yeah. Thanks Aunt May. I'd better let you go so you won't be late."

"Thanks. Talk to you again soon. Love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

Once Lightning had hung up, he entered the apartment. "When's lunch?"

Everyone looked up at him in amazement.

"It's only ten o'clock!" Sally exclaimed, putting everyone's thoughts into words. "And you had breakfast before you left the hospital."

"Well, I'm hungry again," Lightning said, pouting pitifully.

Leyland nodded towards the kitchen. "Help yourself. But don't you dare touch my chocolate!" he added as Lightning drove into the kitchen. He turned back to the others. "He'll be bouncing off the walls if he has any sugar now. I don't mind my racers having sugar _after_ a race to help them recover, but they're certainly not allowed to have any when they haven't been in training for several weeks."

"At least he's feeling hungry," Dutto said. "I'd be worried if he didn't have an appetite after everything he's been through lately."

"You should see the way Jamie eats," Davo chuckled. "I often wonder where he puts it all."

"Yeah," Leyland agreed. "Race cars have huge appetites. Must be something to do with the size of their tanks. I'd rather not discourage it though. They need as much energy as they can get to win races for us."

Leyland's phone rang then. With a frustrated sigh, he answered it. "Hello? Oh, hi Craig. Okay. Oh. I'm sorry about that. You know we'll all be here for you if you need it. Okay. I'll tell them. Yes. See you soon. Bye."

"What's up?" Dutto asked.

"Craig's just finished meeting with his lawyer. He's decided that the best thing for him to do is to carry out his wife's wishes and agree to a divorce. I do feel sorry for him."

"We all do," Grant said.

Lightning returned from the kitchen with a can of fuel. "What'd I miss?"

"Craig's finished meeting with his lawyer, and he's on his way home," Leyland told him. "So you and Sally can join him whenever you're ready."

"Do you think I'll be okay to drive all that way?" Lightning asked doubtfully.

"The doctor said you were okay to drive, just as long as you stick to the speed limit," Sally gently reminded him. "We'll take it slowly, okay?"

"Okay," Lightning agreed. "How did Craig's meeting go?"

"He's decided to go through with a divorce once the separation period has been completed," Leyland explained. "I'd appreciate it if you could do your best to support him, but try not to say or do anything to upset him. He's being very generous to you and Sally, so you owe him that."

"Yeah. Thanks for letting me know. I guess we'd better get going then. Thanks for everything, Leyland. We really appreciate it."

"Just take good care of yourself, you hear? I want you to rest from now on, understood?"

"Yes, Leyland. I understand."

"Good. I'll let you know when I've made arrangements for you to be assessed by the CAMS doctor."

"Okay. Thanks. Let's go, Sal."

Sally followed Lightning over to the lift. She parked behind him while they waited for the lift to arrive. Lightning glanced at her in his rear-view mirror.

"What are you looking at, Sal?"

"What? Nothing!"

"Admit it. You were admitting my rear bumper, weren't you?" And he wiggled it.

Sally blushed profusely. "Well, what if I was?"

The lift arrived, and Lightning drove inside it. Sally followed him. They began kissing each other passionately as the lift doors closed behind them.

 **Thank you so much for the reviews guys! Please, keep them coming. They help keep me motivated. I'm trying to include some romantic moments between Lightning and Sally, but it isn't easy since I'm not much of a romantic writer. I hope I'm doing okay. I'm trying to keep it 'clean' though.**


	21. Chapter 21 - The Decision

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 21 – The Decision

 **Craig's Property, Kilcoy, 100kms north of Brisbane – Tuesday 28** **th** **April, 2015**

"Hurry up, Lightning, or we'll be late," Craig said as he waited impatiently for Lightning to finish his breakfast.

"That's rich, coming from you," Lightning muttered.

"That's enough, you two," Sally scolded. "Craig's right though, Lightning. You'd both better head off now."

"Whose side are you on?" Lightning muttered. He drained his oil can before following Craig out the door.

It was the day of Lightning's medical exam by the chief V8 Supercars doctor, Dr Lee. Lightning was worried, because he knew what might happen to him if he was declared unfit to race that weekend.

Halfway down the driveway, Lightning and Craig were stopped in their tracks by a small herd of tractors.

"Oh, that's just great!" Craig exclaimed as he skidded to a stop, sending up a cloud of dust. "Someone's left the gate open again! I'll have to have another word with the farmhands." He turned to face Lightning. "You any good at tractor herding?"

Lightning chuckled. "Are you kidding? I was taught by the best!"

And with that, Lightning revved his engine aggressively. Startled, the tractors immediately tipped over in unison. Craig stared at the scene, completely astonished. A few seconds later, the tractors all backfired, loudly. Lightning burst out laughing when he saw Craig's reaction. He was staring at his tractors with his jaw almost touching the ground. He blinked once.

"Uh…okay…" He chuckled sheepishly. Then he cleared his throat as he gathered himself together again. "That wasn't exactly what I had in mind, Lightning. Still, it'll make it easier for my boys to round them up. I'll just phone them to let them know what's happened, and then we'll be on our way."

"Or, I could always leave you to it," Lightning muttered cheekily as Craig dialled a number. He started to drive off.

"Hey! Lightning! Wait for me!" Craig shouted.

Chuckling, Lightning floored it, sending up a huge spray of dust as he careened down the rest of the dirt driveway. It had been ages since he'd last raced on dirt, but he was glad he hadn't forgotten how to do it. He even managed to counter steer around a sharp bend.

Once Lightning had reached the end of the driveway, he stopped to wait for Craig to catch up.

…

Craig and Lightning's trip to the Triple Eight Race Engineering's team headquarters turned into a bit of an impromptu race, especially for the final kilometre. However, since Lightning didn't want to risk having another accident, he let Craig win.

"Yeah! I beat you!" Craig shouted as they drove into the entry foyer.

"Craig!" Dutto shouted from the mezzanine. "Keep it down. I'm glad you're two minutes early, but you don't need to let everyone know. Still, it makes a nice change. It's nice to see you back here too, Lightning."

"Thanks, Dutto. It's good to be back. I just hope I can pass this exam."

"Well, Doctor Lee should be here soon. Why don't you go and see Doctor Andrews now? He's expecting you."

Reluctantly, Lightning headed to Dr Andrew's office. The doctor was busy sorting through some paperwork.

"Morning, Lightning," he said without looking up.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"Easy. Your engine sounds different from Craig's or Jamie's. It has a slightly higher whine to it."

"Oh. Dutto said you were expecting me."

"Yes. Can you park yourself on the lift for me, please?"

Groaning softly, Lightning drove onto the hydraulic lift. A moment later, Leyland, Dutto and a white SUV entered the room. The SUV was obviously Dr Lee.

"I invited Leyland and Dutto here, so they can witness this," Dr Andrews explained to Lightning.

"Whatever," the race car muttered.

"Right," Dr Lee said as he drove over to Lightning. "Let's just check your vitals first, and then I'll take a look at your latest MRI scans."

Lightning tried to relax as Dr Lee checked all of his vitals. It wasn't easy, but Dr Lee seemed to be satisfied with Lightning's health.

"You're a bit nervous about this, aren't you?" he asked as he put his stethoscope away.

"Yeah," Lightning agreed. "That's a lot riding on this exam."

"So I understand. Okay, let's take a look at those scans."

Dr Andrews passed over a file. "These scans were taken yesterday," he explained. "As you can see, they've been witnessed by myself and the head neurologist at the Royal Brisbane Hospital."

"Excellent." Dr Lee muttered as he placed the scans against a backlight.

For several minutes, the entire room was silent while Dr Lee carefully studied Lightning's MRI scans. Dutto couldn't help noticing that Lightning was trying very hard not to hold his breath.

Finally, Dr Lee looked up. "I'd like to speak with the three of you in private," he said to Leyland, Dr Andrews and Dutto.

"Very well," Dr Andrews replied. "Please, stay here for a moment, Lightning. We won't be long."

"May I at least get off the lift?" Lightning asked.

Dr Lee nodded, and Lightning did so. Dr Lee, Leyland, Dr Andrews and Dutto then left the room, and they went into Dutto's office.

"Well?" Leyland said once they were alone. "Is Lightning allowed to race this weekend?"

"Mr Dane. You know as well I do just how dangerous brain injuries are in a race car. Normally, I wouldn't allow a racer back onto the track after a severe concussion without at least a month of complete rest. Lightning was in a coma for five days, so ideally, Lightning shouldn't race this weekend."

"I see," Leyland muttered thoughtfully…

…

A few minutes later, Lightning was curiously looking at his MRI scans, when Leyland drove into the room.

"Come with me, please," he said firmly.

Gulping, Lightning sheepishly followed Leyland upstairs to his office. Leyland closed the door behind them.

"Doctor Lee's not going to let me race, is he?" Lightning whispered sadly.

Leyland waited until he was parked behind his desk before he answered. "Lightning… I know you've been through a lot during the past six weeks, so I'll make this brief. Dr Lee said that since he couldn't find a single trace of bruising on your brain, he would allow you to race this weekend."

Lightning breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"However," Leyland continued. "I am going to lay down some rules. If at any time during the weekend you start to feel sick or dizzy, you're to let myself, Dr Andrews or Dutto know immediately, do you understand?"

"Yes, Leyland. I understand."

"Good. Also, if at any time I think you're pushing yourself too hard, I reserve the right to pull you out, and my decision will be final. Is that perfectly clear?"

"Yes, Leyland."

Leyland nodded. "You may resume training with Craig and Jamie now. We'll be flying to Perth tomorrow morning, so make sure you, Craig and Sally are at the airport by nine a.m. sharp."

Lightning hesitated. "Sally's decided not to go. She wants to finalize our wedding plans."

"That's fine. Are you sure she won't mind being on her own?"

"I think she wants it, actually," Lightning whispered.

Leyland frowned. "Has something happened?"

"No. But I think she's more stressed out than she's letting on."

"Oh. In that case, I might have to arrange something for you two."

"Arrange what, exactly?"

"Never mind. Go to the training room now, please. Dutto's already decided what he wants you to do today."

Shortly after Lightning had left Leyland's office, his phone rang. "Hello?"

"Lightning? I've found it!"

"Aunt May? Do you mean the veil?"

"Yes! I couldn't find it at first, but when I asked Hood about it, he remembered where it was because he helped your mother pack it away after your parents' wedding. It'll need a dry cleaning, since it's gone a bit yellow, but I'm sure it'll come out. It'll look lovely on Sally!"

"Thank you so much, aunt! And please thank Hood for finding it."

"I will. Oh, and he wants to know if he's invited to your wedding."

"Of course he is! So is Gracie, if you can find out where she's working now."

"I'm in contact with her, so I'll let her know. Lightning? Is something wrong?"

"How could you tell?"

"I may never have been a mother, but you're so much like a son to me that I can just tell. So, what is it?"

"It's Sally. It'd be great if she could have someone help her with the wedding plans. I'm worried she's trying to do too much by herself. Especially after the fire…"

"Are you asking me to come over and help her?"

"It'd be great if you could. Please?"

Aunt May sighed thoughtfully. "I'll phone her tomorrow. I'll be happy to help if she wants it, but I wouldn't want to get in the way."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate your help. Just remember, we want a simple garden wedding. Nothing too fancy, and completely private. Close friends and family only."

"I understand. Sorry, but I have to go now. Talk to you again soon."

"Yeah. Bye Aunt May." Lightning hung up his phone.

A few minutes later, Lightning drove into the training room, where Craig and Jamie were racing away on the rolling roads. Lightning went over to Dutto, who was analysing the data on the computers.

"What do you want me to do today?" Lightning asked Dutto, shouting above the roar of the V8 engines.

"A hundred kilometres at two hundred kilometres an hour," Dutto replied, also shouting.

Lightning knew that Dutto was trying to keep his training session light, so he didn't argue. He drove onto his rolling road, and Dutto secured his front wheels tightly. Once everything was ready, Lightning began his training session.

"So, you're allowed to race this weekend, Lightning?" Jamie asked, panting heavily.

"Yeah. I just hope I don't let Leyland down again."

"You never have," Craig told him firmly. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. A bad day in racing is one where things don't go to plan. A terrible day in racing is when you get a DNF."

"And a good day in racing is when you win everything," Lightning muttered under his breath. Nobody heard him, but Dutto could tell what Lightning was thinking.

"Oi! Less talking and more speed!" he ordered. Then he drove over to Lightning. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good."

"You're not hurting anywhere or feeling dizzy at all?"

"No. Dutto, I promise, I'll let you know if I'm not feeling okay."

Nodding, Dutto turned his attention back to the computer screens.

 **Wow! Thank you so much for the positive reviews, guys. I really appreciate it. I promise I'll continue to include romantic scenes between Lightning and Sally, and possibly with Craig and Jamie too.**


	22. Chapter 22 - Day 1 at Perth Supersprint

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 22 – Day 1 at the Perth Supersprint

 **Perth Supersprint, Day 1 - Barbagallo Raceway, Wanneroo, 50 kms north of Perth, Western Australia – Thursday, 30 April 2015**

"Oh shiiooot!" Lightning exclaimed. He'd almost let slip a swear word, but a sharp, cold glare from Leyland quickly made his alter the word.

Jamie chuckled. "You're not the only one who's wanted to swear upon seeing this corner for the very first time!"

"Yup!" Craig agreed. "This is one of the worst corners in the V8s. Minimum speed is a hundred kilometres an hour. Hard on brakes and tyres… Then again, you should be good at it, since you're so used to racing in circles. Whoops! Sorry, you'll probably screw it up because it's a right-hander, not a left."

Lightning retorted by sticking his tongue out at him. "You're just jealous," he muttered. Craig chuckled, knowing he'd struck a nerve.

It was Thursday afternoon, and the Redbulldozer Racing team were undertaking their track drive of Barbagallo Raceway. And if Lightning was completely honest with himself, the track probably suited him better than it did for any of the other racers. But turn six, Kolb Corner, which was what they were staring at right now, made him feel sick. Sure, he was used to racing around nice, smooth, flowing corners just like this one, but then again, this one… This corner went down instead of up! And, coming out of it, the track rose sharply to crest a hill, before it descended again along Tait straight.

"Do you remember that big accident that happened here in 2011?" Jamie asked Craig, teasingly. Lightning knew that they were just trying to get inside his head. He couldn't understand why, because he wasn't even competing against them.

"Yeah, I remember that," Craig casually replied. Then he realised what Jamie was doing, and he frowned. "That's not nice, Jamie. Lightning will probably handle this track much better than we ever could. Once he comes to grips with it, that is."

"What happened in the accident?" Lightning asked curiously.

Craig and Jamie glanced sadly at each other.

"It happened on the starting grid. I won't say who was involved, since they're no longer racing. We were just about to start the race and, unbeknownst to everyone, one of the racers at the back of the grid had a bleeding oil line. The race started, and he stalled. The racer behind him had nowhere to go except straight into the back of him…" Craig paused for a moment while he gathered his thoughts. "I remember seeing it all in my rear-view mirrors. Both racers went straight up into the air and then…flames… Flames were everywhere…"

Everyone was quiet now. Even Jamie looked rather upset. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, what happened to them?" Lightning persisted.

"The race was suspended while we dealt with the fire," Dutto interjected. "Nearly all the pit crew guys just grabbed as many fire extinguishers as they could to help put out the fire. Both racers were badly injured, and one suffered serious burns. The fuel tank ruptured inside the racer who was hit, causing the fire. Their injuries meant that they could never race again. They were so lucky to survive though."

Lightning nodded, completely understanding. Leyland cleared his throat, to gain everyone's attention again.

"If you guys are ready to continue?"

"Leyland hates track drives," Jamie whispered to Lightning.

"Figured that."

With the track drive completed, the entire team headed back to the transporter for a pre-race meeting briefing.

"Okay, everyone, listen up!" Leyland said as he parked himself at one end of the largest trailer. "I've had a look at the schedule for the races this weekend, and I've got some bad news, especially for the pit crew. There are virtually no breaks between the Development Series events and the Championship events. That means that our turnaround is going to be very tight, so I want full co-operation from everyone. That includes you, Jamie."

Everyone chuckled as Jamie flushed almost as red as Lightning's paintwork. He held up a tyre.

"I've got the message, Leyland."

"Good."

…

Lightning had a fairly good night's sleep that night, but he still awoke to Dutto banging on his hotel room door.

"I'm up, Dutto!" Lightning shouted as he crawled out from beneath his blankets.

"How'd you sleep?" Dutto asked a few minutes later when Lightning joined him in the hallway.

"Okay, I guess. I missed having Sally beside me."

"Have you spoken to her lately?"

"Yeah, last night after our discussion. She's missing me too."

"Well, I'm sorry to break the romance bubble here, mate, but you need to fully concentrate on your racing now."

"I will," Lightning promised.

As always, the racetrack was already busy by the time Lightning and Dutto arrived. Lightning smiled when he saw Kori parked outside the pit garage, chatting casually with Jamie.

"Sharing some family secrets there, Jamie?" Dutto asked with a knowing wink.

Jamie jumped backwards. "No!"

Lightning chuckled. "Actually, you two look pretty cute together."

Kori and Jamie's jaws dropped simultaneously. Laughing, Lightning left them to it.

"Morning Leyland!" Lightning said cheerfully.

"Morning Speedster. How are you feeling this morning?"

"Ready to race."

"That's what I wanted to hear. Now, listen up. You've only got two new sets of hard tyres to last you the whole weekend, so we're going to send you out on old tyres for the practice sessions."

"Hard or soft?" Lightning asked.

"Hard, since you do so well on them. Plus, they'll last longer."

Lightning nodded. "Any special instructions?"

"Yes. Don't push it. This is your first race weekend in almost two months, so don't be upset if you don't do as well as you did earlier this year. We'll aim for a top ten finish, okay?"

"Sure, but I-"

"No buts, Lightning. You're not to push yourself unless I say so, understood?"

"Yeah," Lightning reluctantly agreed. He drove over to Craig, who'd just arrived at the garage. "Got any tips for me today?"

"Yes. On Kolb Corner, don't start accelerating until you reach the end of the climb. Otherwise, you'll lose ground and you won't make that up in a hurry."

Lightning frowned. He'd gone over the track details with Dutto the night before, and he hadn't said a thing about that. "Are you sure? It doesn't sound right."

"That's a rookie mistake," Craig warned. "But feel free to ignore my twenty years of experience on these racetracks."

He drove away towards the transporter, leaving Lightning feeling confused. He'd trusted Craig's advice so far, and it had always worked out for him. But this advice just seemed so illogical to him. At that moment, he suddenly thought he heard Doc's voice right behind him.

 _"_ _If you're going hard enough left, you'll find yourself turning right…"_

Startled, Lightning spun around, but there wasn't anyone behind him. He shivered.

"Right, that was creepy…" he muttered to himself. He drove over to a computer screen that showed an overhead, 2D image of the racetrack. He stared at turn six – Kolb Corner – for several minutes, trying to imagine it in his mind. However, every time he imagined himself racing around it, he kept starting to accelerate about three quarters of the way around the corner. It just seemed so natural for him to do that, since that's what he'd always done on Piston Cup raceways. He exhaled deeply with frustration.

"Are you feeling okay there, Lightning?" Leyland asked behind him.

"Yeah. I'm just trying to understand this corner."

"I'm sure you'll get the feel of it during practice. Now, you need to get your racing tyres bolted on for the first practice session."

Before long, Lightning was parked in pit row, awaiting the start of the first practice session. He smiled when he saw Kori and her loyal camera car approach him.

"Hi Kori. Sorry we haven't had much time to chat lately."

"It's okay, Lightning. I heard about the fire, and with it coming so soon after your accident, I just wanted to know that you're okay."

Lightning noticed that the camera was on, so he gave his answer carefully. "I'm perfectly fine now, Kori, as you can see. I wouldn't be allowed to race if I wasn't completely fine."

Kori nodded. "The doctors said that it's doubtful if you'll ever remember the events of your accident. Have you watched the footage of it yet?"

"No, and I don't intend to. It's in the past, and I've fully recovered from it, so what's the point in reliving it?"

"That makes sense-"

A whistle sounded, indicating that all media personnel had to leave pit row.

"Good luck out there today."

"Thanks Kori." Lightning revved his engine as pit row cleared.

"Okay, Lightning. The pit row exit is open, so you're good to go now. Take it slow on the first lap, okay?"

"Copy that, Dutto."

Lightning led the field of Development Series racers out onto the track. His first few laps weren't too bad, but he couldn't quite work out where he should accelerate when coming out of Kolb Corner. He tried it in a few different places, but they all left him struggling to climb the hill. Dutto was quick to notice this.

"Hey, just take it easy out there, kid," he reminded him. "You're not racing until tomorrow, so just use this practice to get a good feel of the track."

Lightning exhaled deeply. He was so confused. Craig had said that this racetrack would suit him, but he just couldn't get to grips with it.

At the end of the forty minute practice session, Lightning reluctantly returned to the pits. He felt very dejected. Dutto drove straight over to him.

"Hey, cheer up! You were only a hundredth of a second off the pace. That's brilliant for your first time on a new track!"

"Perhaps, but I'm not happy with how I felt out there," Lightning replied. "I was second guessing myself and making stupid errors. I've never done that before."

"Why don't you watch Craig and Jamie practice, and then you might see just where you're going wrong?"

"Okay," Lightning agreed. Dutto helped him put on a headset.

But even watching Craig and Jamie's practice, Lightning still didn't get it. They made the exit out of Kolb Corner look so easy! Lightning shook his hood as the hour-long Championship Series practice ended with Craig in second place and Jamie in tenth. Craig's fastest lap had been over a second faster than his own! Lightning sighed again and he looked at the computer screens in front of him.

"If Doc was still alive, he'd be able to tell me what I'm doing wrong," he said aloud without realising it. Leyland and Dutto exchanged surprised glances.

"The problem with you, Lightning, is that you're so used to being the best, you can't accept that doing well doesn't always mean winning," Leyland told him firmly. "I can tell when one of my racers isn't doing his very best out there. From what I could see, you were."

"Perhaps," Lightning muttered despondently. "But I can just feel that I'm not coming out of Kolb Corner the way I should be."

"Don't beat yourself up about it," Dutto soothed. "I'm sure you'll figure it out soon."

"Maybe…"

But Lightning's second practice session later that afternoon was pretty much a carbon copy of the first practice session, except that things went from bad to worse for him. Immediately after the practice session, an official came to find Leyland.

"Leyland Dane?" he called upon entering the garage. Seeing Leyland at the computers watching Craig and Jamie head out for their second practice session, he drove straight over to him.

"What's up?" Leyland asked.

The official held out a piece of paper with his forklift arm. "Your racer, car number ninety-five, is going to be fined for exceeding the pit lane entry speed during the Development Series second practice session. He was clocked doing forty-four kilometres an hour instead of forty. Make sure you keep an eye on that in future, understood?"

"Perfectly," Leyland said grimly. "Lightning!"

Lightning drove over to them. "Yes Leyland?"

"You've been given a three hundred and fifty dollar fine for exceeding the speed limit into pit row. And I WON'T be paying it!"

 **Wow! Over 50 reviews! Thank you so much for your support. You really do help keep me motivated. Sorry this chapter took a bit longer to write. I had to do some extra research since there isn't much video footage of the Perth races online. The 2011 crash really did happen though. I watched it, and it is both spectacular and terrifying! Luckily, it was a freak accident and the fuel cells have been improved since then to prevent such an accident from ever happening again.**

 **I also think I now know who'll be Jamie's love interest... I think things are about to spice up for him! Again, please keep the reviews coming. Also, if you have any questions about the V8 Supercars, feel free to send me a message. I'll do my best to answer them.**


	23. Chapter 23 - Day 2 at Perth - Part 1

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 23 – Day 2 at the Perth Supersprint – Part 1

 **Perth Supersprint, Day 2 - Barbagallo Raceway, Wanneroo, 50 kms north of Perth, Western Australia – Saturday, 2 May 2015**

Lightning clearly wasn't in the best of moods the following morning. He didn't mean to be, but dwelling on all the little errors he'd made the day before made him touchy and irritable. Leyland watched him closely from a distance. While he didn't have a degree in psychology, he'd been in the racing industry long enough to be able to tell immediately what was bothering anyone on his team. He drove over to Dr Andrews.

"I think Lightning could do with a bath," he whispered to the doctor.

Dr Andrews glanced at Lightning, who'd just vented his frustrations on an empty Redbulldozer can. The racers weren't allowed to drink the highly-caffeinated energy drink that was provided by their main sponsor, but the rest of the team was allowed to have it. "How long until his qualifying round?"

"He's got plenty of time. I need to supervise the other two during their final practice session, so I'll let you take care of him."

"Okay then. How long should I make him stay there?"

"Hopefully fifteen minutes should be long enough. We can always give him another bath later if he needs it."

Nodding, Dr Andrews drove over to Lightning. "Come with me, grumpy."

"I'm not grumpy," Lightning muttered as he followed the doctor out of the garage.

"That's a matter of opinion." Dr Andrews led him over to a small red tent, and they went inside.

"What's this for?" Lightning wondered.

"Hydrotherapy," Dr Andrews replied. "Leyland wants you to cool off, so I think a chilly fifteen degrees should do the trick."

Lightning froze, shocked. "Fifteen degrees?"

"Celsius."

"Oh. That's still very cold though, isn't it?"

"Not really. That's a typical day's temperature in Melbourne and Tasmania. In you get…"

Lightning reluctantly drove up and over the small ramp into the bathtub. Dr Andrews then began filling it with chilled water. Lightning shivered at first, but then he started to relax as his body adjusted to the temperature. Dr Andrews covered him with a blanket.

"You can go and see Doctor Anderson after this," he told Lightning.

"Okay," Lightning replied with a small sigh.

…

About an hour later, Lightning returned to the garage. He was feeling much more settled now, but he was also feeling a bit sorry for himself. He drove over to Dutto.

"I'm sorry about my attitude this morning, Dutto," he quietly apologised. "I guess I just let myself get wound up about the little things, and I wasn't being very optimistic."

Dutto smiled. "It's okay, Lightning, and thank you for apologising. We all get a bit emotional in this sport when things don't go the way we wanted them to."

"Yeah," Light agreed. Seeing Craig going through his data with Grant, Lightning drove over to him. "Craig?"

"Yes, Lightning?"

"Sorry for interrupting, but I was wondering if you might be able to help me negotiate Kolb Corner later? I was struggling badly with it yesterday."

"Sure," Craig smiled. "But it'll have to wait until after my qualifying rounds are over, okay?"

"Okay. And thanks."

"No problem."

The first qualifying round for the Championship racers didn't go terribly well for the team. While Craig managed to get third on the grid with a fastest lap time of 0:57.1194 seconds, Jamie struggled to get his balance properly, and ended up qualifying in twenty-first place with a fastest lap time of 0:57.8694 seconds. Seeing just how close their times were, despite the vast difference in their grid positions, reminded Lightning of the importance of getting the perfect lap, especially during qualifying. He was now really worried about his own qualifying session, which was scheduled to begin five minutes before noon.

The second qualifying round for Craig and Jamie went much better, with them qualifying in second and fourth respectively.

Luckily for Lightning, there was a brief fifteen minute break between the second qualifying round of the Championship, and the Development Series qualifying round. That gave him and Craig enough time to discuss Kolb Corner.

"I didn't see Marcus Ambrose on the list of qualifiers," Lightning remarked as they parked themselves in a quiet corner of the garage.

"That's because he's decided to take a break from racing," Craig replied. "Didn't you hear about it?"

Lightning shook his front. "When did that happen?"

"After Tasmania."

"Yeah, I was still recovering then."

"Right, sorry. Okay, let's concentrate on the important stuff now. Kolb Corner. Can you show me where you've been accelerating?"

Using his tyre, Lightning pointed to a spot about a third of the way up the hill leading out of Kolb Corner. Craig frowned thoughtfully.

"Are you pushing your engine to get over the rise?"

"Yes."

Still frowning, Craig shook his front. "I'm surprised you haven't thrown a belt yet. If you do what I told you to do, you won't have to flog your engine like that."

"But your method doesn't make sense!"

"Okay, when you race in the Piston Cup, how do you tackle the corners?" Craig quickly brought up on the screen an overhead 2D diagram of the Motor Speedway of the South. "Show me where you normally accelerate and decelerate."

Lightning pointed to the screen with his tyre. "I accelerate on the straights, but when I reach the corners, I let the G-forces push me towards the outside of the track. Then, when I come out of the corner, I let gravity take over to propel me down onto the straight again. It's pretty simple really."

"Mmm…" Craig continued frowning thoughtfully. "You're right. It is very simple. And you actually enjoyed doing that hundreds of times in a row?"

Lightning exhaled deeply. "Not helping, Craig."

"Yes, sorry. Okay, this is how you tackle Kolb Corner. Try to be in the centre of the track when you enter the corner. You'll also have to brake very hard. You'll have to go from about two-hundred and fifteen kilometres an hour, down to about a hundred kilometres an hour as you enter the corner. Realistically, your deceleration should not take longer than about two to three seconds. Now, the trick is to slowly ease off your brakes once you get about halfway around. Using the same G-force momentum that you used in the Piston Cup, you should be able to get almost to the top of the rise before you need to hit the accelerator. I know that sounds complicated, but once you've got it, you'll never forget it. It does feel strange at first, but you'll quickly get used to it. Do you understand now?"

"I think so," Lightning replied, but he didn't sound overly confident.

Craig exhaled deeply. "Would it help if I got on the coms and talked you through it?"

"It would," Lightning agreed.

"Okay. How long's your qualifying session?"

"Half an hour."

"Good. That gives us plenty of time to perfect the corner. You'd better go and get ready for it now."

…

Meanwhile, over in Radiator Springs, the townsfolk were gathered around a large TV screen that had been set up outside Flo's, so they could watch the racing. Like the rest of the country, they were thrilled that R.S.N. was finally showing all of Lightning's events live, even if it meant staying up for most of the night. They'd already watched his practice sessions the day before, but Elinor was worried about Lightning. Her mother's intuition sensed that he wasn't comfortable with the track, and she knew just how upset he'd be by that.

"I gots popcorn!" Mater shouted as he parked between Elinor and Sherriff. "Is i' on yet?"

"Almost," Elinor smiled. She accepted the popcorn Mater passed to her. It was going to be a long night, but everyone was well prepared for it.

"It's on!" Sherriff shouted, and everyone promptly settled down to watch.

"Welcome back to R.S.N." a male voice said over the TV as the camera focused on the well-known racing reporter, Brett Mustangberger, inside the studio. "I'm Brett Mustangberger. Late last year, the racing world was very much surprised when champion Piston Cup racer, Lightning McQueen, announced that he was going to switch racing codes; going from the Piston Cup to Touring Car racing in Australia. He wasn't the only Piston Cup racer to head 'Downunder'. Australian racer, Marcus Ambrose, also left, returning to the V8 Supercars Championship Series, while Lightning McQueen joined a lower category in the V8 Supercars, known at the Development Series. Racing in the Development Series seems to have paid off for Lightning, because, while Marcus has decided to take a break from racing after struggling to handle the difficult circuits, Lightning is currently tied for first place on the overall Development Series leader board. We're now going to cross over live to Barbagallo Raceway near the city of Perth in Western Australia, where Lightning McQueen is preparing to qualify for the first of three races that are being held there over the weekend. Your commentators are Kori Turbowitz, Neil Crompton and Greg Murphy."

The footage changed to show an overhead, live view of Barbagallo Raceway, taken from a helicopter.

"Welcome to Barbagallo Raceway," a male voice said off-screen. "I'm Greg Murphy, and we have a stunning day here for racing. We'd like to take this opportunity to welcome all of our American viewers who are watching this event live on R.S.N. It looks like we're just about to get things rolling here for the Development Series qualifying round, so we'll now cross to Neil Crompton, who is down in pit row."

The camera footage changed to show a forklift, standing directly in front of the Redbulldozer Racing garage. Behind him, everyone could see Lightning talking indistinctly with Dutto.

"Thanks Greg," Neil said. "I'm down in pit row, where the Development Series racers are undergoing their final preparations before qualifying. I'm just going to sneak into the Redbulldozer garage to have a chat with team owner, Leyland Dane."

As Neil spoke, he and the camera car drove inside the garage, and over to Leyland, who was at the computer screens talking to Grant.

"Sorry, Leyland, can I interrupt just for a moment?" Neil asked.

"Sure," Leyland replied, but he did look a bit annoyed.

"As I'm sure you're aware, we have millions of American viewers watching the races this weekend. What do you think Lightning McQueen's chances are of winning all three races this weekend?"

"Ahh, come on, Neil! You know I never answer those kinds of questions. Anything can happen during a race, but Lightning's a strong racer, so I think if everything goes according to plan, he should be on the podium for at least one of the races."

"Another question I'm sure a lot of viewers are wondering is how well has he recovered from the accident he suffered from two months ago?"

"He's doing very well, actually. We are, of course, monitoring him closely this weekend, but he seems to have made a full recovery."

"Well, that's good to hear. We'll let you get back to it."

The footage changed again, this time to show pit row as the Development Series racers drove out of their respective garages. For a brief moment, the camera swapped back to focus on Lightning as he drove out of the Redbulldozer Racing garage, revving his engine aggressively.

…

Lightning paused a few metres away from the pit garage, still revving his engine. It sounded glorious today. He then heard Dutto speaking over the radio.

"Pit lane exit is open, Speedster. You can go when you're ready."

"Yeah, thanks, Dutto," Lightning replied as he headed out. "You there, Craig?"

"Yes. Just do a couple of warm up laps to show me how you've been taking Kolb Corner."

"Copy that."

As Lightning led the other racers out onto the track, he thought about the Deja-vu he'd had the day before when he'd thought he'd heard Doc talking to him. Shaking himself, he tried to forget all about it as he made his approach to Kolb Corner. He needed to give this corner his full attention.

…

Elinor frowned when she heard Lightning's radio communications over the TV. "Something's wrong," she whispered, more to herself that to anyone else.

"Why's you say that?" Mater asked.

"I know Craig and Jamie aren't allowed to communicate with Lightning during a race. So, why is he on the radio?"

Everyone glanced at each other with concern. Elinor was right. Something was definitely wrong…

…

Lightning took Kolb Corner the same way he'd been doing all weekend. Craig winched when he heard just how hard Lightning was pushing his engine to get up the hill. It really sounded like it was straining hard. He sighed deeply. He knew full well that, while Lightning had been built with a racing engine, thanks to his grandfather's DNA, it wasn't capable of constantly racing up steep hills.

"Is that hurting you at all, Speedster?" he asked over the radio.

"A bit," Lightning replied.

Craig frowned with concern. "Okay, I'll coach you through the next few laps." He turned to look at Dutto, silently asking if that was okay. At Dutto's nod, Craig looked back at the screens.

As Lightning crossed over the start/finish line, Paul overlapped him. Lightning was about to go after him, when Dutto jumped on the radio.

"He's on a qualifying lap, Lightning. Just stay clear of him."

"Copy."

Lightning stayed clear of the racers who were on qualifying pace until he reached the entry into Kolb Corner. Fortunately, there was a reasonable gap for him to slip into, so he did.

"Okay, Lightning. Full acceleration, please," Craig instructed.

Squinting his eyes with determination, Lightning floored it. Glancing down at his speedometer, he saw that he was doing about 220 kilometres an hour.

"Ease your brakes on…now!"

Lightning reduced his speed as he entered Kolb Corner. He could feel the G-forces pushing him down lower against the track as his speed quickly dropped.

"Can you feel that resistance?" Craig asked.

"Yes."

"Good. Don't fight it. You'll need it in a moment."

Groaning softly, Lightning gritted his teeth as the G-forces continued to press against him. It was like being inside a gravitron. A moment later, Lightning felt the G-forces drop back over his spoiler and, amazingly, somehow, they started aiding him, rather than hindering him. In that brief moment, he suddenly understood why he'd heard Doc's voice in his head the day before. It had been his sub-conscience reminding him that, if he wanted to keep improving, he needed to try everything suggested to him, no matter how crazy it sounded. He quickly made a mental note to himself to remember that in future.

Almost before he realised it, he was at the top of the rise.

"Go for it, Speedster!" Craig shouted, snapping Lightning out of his shock. Grinning, Lightning floored it again. But not for long.

"I'm coming in, Dutto," he said.

"Copy that. What do you need?"

"Something for me to throw up into," Lightning replied, shakily.

Dutto and Craig exchanged worried glances.

"I'll get Doctor Andrews," Leyland said. He called for the doctor over his radio.

A few moments later, Lightning drove straight into the team's garage, where he promptly threw up into a tray that Dr Andrews had provided. Frowning, Dr Andrews glanced up at the rest of the teams.

"Motion sickness," he told them simply. "He'll be okay soon."

"How soon?" Leyland wondered. "Because he still needs to qualify _and_ race this afternoon…"

"I'm aware of that. Just give me a moment." Leaving the pit crew to attend to Lightning, he spoke to someone over the radio for a few minutes. After that, he rummaged around in his medical cabinet for a moment, before returning to Lightning. "I've just been given permission to give Lightning some medicine to help settle his tank. It's the best I can do for him right now."

Leyland nodded. Lightning kept his eyes tightly closed while Dr Andrews injected the medicine straight into his tank.

"Does this happen a lot, Craig?" he asked weakly. A shiver ran through his entire body.

"Not normally, no. I'm surprised it happened to you, of all cars."

"Maybe I didn't do that corner right."

"It was perfect from my angle. Guess the G-forces just got to you a bit too much." Another thought struck him. "Are you feeling dizzy at all?"

"A bit," Lightning reluctantly admitted. Opening his eyes, he stared worriedly at Leyland. The team owner was frowning deeply with concern.

Having finished administering the medicine, Dr Andrews drove in front of Lightning. "Look straight at me," he instructed. Lightning did so. He knew that Dr Andrews was looking for any signs of concussion. For a moment, nobody in the garage dared to even move. Finally, Dr Andrews looked over at Leyland. "He'll be fine to continue. All he needs to do is qualify; then I'll order him to rest completely inside the transporter, until his race later this afternoon."

Leyland nodded. "How are you feeling now, Speedster?"

"Better," Lightning replied, smiling a little.

Dr Andrews nodded. "Yeah, that medicine works quickly. I had to get permission to give it to you, because one of the possible side-effects is drowsiness. The officials will be keeping a close eye on you throughout the rest of today."

Lightning groaned quietly.

"Get back out there, Lightning," Leyland ordered. "You only have fifteen minutes left to qualify. You can do it."

Sure enough, he did. Fifteen minutes later, Lightning returned to the pit garage having qualified in second position behind Chris Pither, with a fastest lap time of 0:57.2644 – only a tenth of a second slower than Craig's first round qualifying time!

 **Sorry I didn't update sooner. I was going to do so yesterday afternoon, but there was an accident in the V8s yesterday (Friday, Australian time), and I was taking notes on it to use in a future chapter. The good news is that it didn't occur on the racetrack, or during a race, but everyone who follows the V8s, including myself, are all wishing poor James Courtney a speedy recovery. I will be including the incident in a future chapter, so no more spoilers.**

 **Again, I'd like to thank you for your reviews. I always intended that Leyland, Dutto, Craig and, to an extent, Jamie, would sort of fill in the hole left in Lightning's life after Doc died. They're all amazing and really supportive of each other, so Lightning is very lucky to have them around him. Please, keep the reviews coming! I look forward to reading them.**


	24. Chapter 24 - Day 2 at Perth - Part 2

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 24 – Day 2 at the Perth Supersprint – Part 2

 **Perth Supersprint, Day 2 - Barbagallo Raceway, Wanneroo, 50 kms north of Perth, Western Australia – Saturday, 2 May 2015**

Thanks to the sound insulation inside the transporter, Lightning was able to have a decent 20 minute nap. He would've slept for longer, but Dr Andrews wouldn't let him.

"Studies have shown that twenty minutes is the ideal time period for naps," the doctor explained as he shooed Lightning out of the transporter. "Go and watch the rest of the Championship race, and have another one of those protein drinks."

Sighing heavily, Lightning started to drive over to the pit garage, but stopped abruptly when he saw a camera being pointed at him. Seeing the 'live' light blinking, he knew at once that everyone had just seen the exchange. He was shocked. Normally, Kori and the R.S.N. team knew the boundaries, but this time they'd gone too far.

Lightning snapped. Revving his engine furiously, he lunged towards Kori. "Get that camera out of here!" he shouted. Before he could say anything else, Leyland was, miraculously, at his side.

"Switch that camera off," he ordered with a distinct air of authority. Sheepishly, the camera car did so.

"Sorry, Lightning…Leyland…" Kori apologised. "I thought we were allowed to film behind pit row."

"You are, but only immediately before and after a race," Leyland replied. He turned to Lightning. "Get inside the garage. I'll handle this."

"Thank you, Leyland," Lightning whispered gratefully. He promptly did as he was told, and he grabbed one of his formulated drinks out of the bar fridge. The Championship race was still underway so, taking his drink with him, Lightning drove over to Dutto, who was at the computers.

"How are they going?" he asked.

"Could be better," Dutto told him honestly. "Jamie's really struggling today, for some strange reason. Davo's trying to figure it out, but I think Jamie's just having one of those days, know what I mean?"

"Yeah," Lightning nodded.

Dutto looked down at him. "How about you? Are you feeling better now?"

Lightning took a sip of his drink before he answered. "Yes, thank you. The nap was good. I just had the media in my face though."

Smiling, Dutto shook his head. "Leyland will take care of that."

"Mmm…"

"Final lap!" Grant announced. Dutto immediately turned his attention back to the screens. Leyland also returned then. He said nothing to anyone, but he did wink at Lightning. Lightning interpreted that as meaning that he'd taken care of the situation with Kori.

The race ended with Craig taking third place on the podium, while Jamie finished a dismal fifteenth. On their way back to the team's garage in pit row, Lightning saw Craig pause outside the Holden Racing Team's garage, which was a couple of garages down from the Redbulldozer Racing team's own garage. Driving closer, he managed to pick up some of what the two friends said.

"Why should you care?" James Courtney spat.

"Because despite being on different teams, we're still friends. Aren't we?"

James sighed. "Sorry Craig. I've just had enough of his immaturity."

"I understand."

James shook his front. "The officials cleared me twice of any misconduct! Surely that'd be enough for him?"

"Obviously not," Craig said sincerely. "I'd better go before the boss comes looking for me. Talk again over lunch?"

James nodded. "You go it."

"What was all that about?" Lightning asked Craig as the latter drove inside the garage.

"Long story," Craig sighed.

"I've got time."

"Hey, Speedster!" Dutto called out. "Time to get you ready to race."

Craig grinned at Lightning. "You were saying?"

Lightning stuck his tongue out at him. Then he drove over to where the pit crew were waiting to get him ready.

"What's going on between Craig and James?" Lightning asked Dutto, once Craig and Jamie had gone for lunch.

"Nothing, as far as I know," Dutto replied. "Why?"

"I saw them talking, that's all."

"Must be something to do with the Courtney-Drivinson feud," one of the forklifts who was bolting on Lightning's racing tyres said. He paused when he saw Lightning's blank expression. "Well, don't tell me you haven't heard about that!"

"All right, I won't then. When did it happen?"

"Tasmania."

Lightning frowned. "No wonder I haven't heard about it. I wasn't there, remember?"

"Sorry," the forklift sighed. "Basically, Drivinson is still furious because he blames Courtney for making him spin out in Tasmania. The officials cleared Courtney of misconduct – twice! Anyway, this morning, Drivinson refused to pose with Courtney at a photoshoot."

"That's pretty pathetic," Lightning said, still frowning.

"Yes, it is," Dutto interjected. "Never mind about that now. You've got more important things to think about. If you're ready, we'll go get you weighed in."

…

Back in Radiator Springs, Elinor gently nudged Mater awake when she saw the Development Series racers making their way out onto the track for the warm-up lap. It was the early hours of the morning, and poor Mater had accidentally drifted off to sleep.

"Huh?" Mater snorted. "I didn' do nothin'!"

"That'd be a first," Sherriff muttered as he tried to suppress the urge to yawn. Normally, he'd be fast asleep behind his road sign, waiting for unsuspecting hooligans to go driving by.

"Relax, Mater," Elinor soothed. "They're about to do the warm-up lap for Lightning's race."

Mater was instantly awake. The footage showed the Development Series racers on the grid, with grid girls parading all around them. Everyone listened eagerly as the commentators began speaking again.

"It's the resumption of play in the Development Series; the second tier of the sport. Some of the stars of the V8 Supercars Championship Series have come through this particular level of the sport. As our coverage of the Perth Supersprint continues, we watch some of the youngsters… Greg Murphy with us in commentary, Kori Turbowitz in the pit lane, and there are a couple of sixteen year olds on the grid here; pretty cool opportunity for guys who are actually still at school…"

Greg Murphy rattled off the two names of the racers who were sixteen years old. "…who didn't have a great qualifying session, but yeah, sixteen years old, mate, I was er… I was doing other things when I was sixteen, I can tell ya! Kori…"

Kori, who was out on the grid, was parked beside Chris Pithers, the racer who'd claimed pole position earlier, spoke up as the camera footage changed to show her parked beside him. "Chris Pithers, it was great to see you grab your very first pole position in the Development Series, and it's quite a nice view from here, isn't it?"

"Yes, definitely," Pithers replied, "I could get very used to being parked here more often, so, ah, qualifying, it's obviously great to be on pole, but the race is what counts, so all I need to do is go out there and get the points."

"They're quite long races too, twenty-eight laps, these ones."

"Yeah, they are, er obviously Barbagallo here is a higher sort of tyre degradation track, and I'm sure that's going to come into play. Hopefully I'll be nice and consistent today, and we can be there to the end."

"Good luck for this one."

"Thank you."

"And we might just head over quickly to Lightning McQueen," the camera followed Kori as she made her way over to where Lightning was parked in second place on the grid. Dutto and some of the Redbulldozer Racing pit crew were all around him, making last-minute checks and ensuring that nothing had been forgotten. "Lightning, it was a bit of a tough qualifying session for you earlier, but I'm sure you're hoping to do much better in this race."

"Yeah, hopefully I don't get any penalties either," Lightning joked. "Although qualifying didn't go quite the way I wanted it to, I'm still on the front row of the grid. I was only half a tenth off Chris, so I think we'll have a good race, and we'll just see what I can do." 1

"Good luck, Lightning."

"Thank you, Kori."

Greg Murphy began speaking again as the camera stayed focused on Lightning. "This is the first of several races that will make up the hundredth championship round for the Development Series, and for this very first race, Chris Pithers' pole position, is his team's twelfth pole, which ties them with Ford Performance Racing, or Prodrive Racing Australia, as we now know it."

The buzzer sounded, indicating that it was time for everyone to clear the racetrack. The Radiator Springs townsfolk continued staring at the screen, silently willing Lightning to do his very best. Elinor just prayed that Lightning would come out of this race still in one piece…

…

Five minutes later, the Development Series racers were taking their final positions on the starting grid after undertaking their warm-up lap. They revved their engines aggressively while they waited anxiously to start the race. There had been a slight glitch with one of the racers during the warm-up lap. He'd stalled on the grid and had required a small tow to get started again. Now the entire field was just waiting for him to get into position at the back of the grid.

"Stay focused, Speedster," Dutto soothed over the radio. "Hanson's just coming onto the back of the grid now."

Lightning continued revving his engine. Beside him, Chris Pithers sat on pole. The two racers eyed each other. For them, everything depended on who got the better start.

"Green flag," Dutto told Lightning calmly.

At the same time, Lightning saw a forklift official hold out the five second warning board. He gave his engine a final rev.

The lights went out. Lightning floored it, but Le Broc, pouncing from third, got the best start out of everyone at or near the front of the grid. He came out of nowhere to duck in front of Lightning before the first corner. Lightning was stunned by his pace, and he gave himself a quick shake. But just as he did that, he felt someone rub up against his side. It was Paul. Lightning frowned grimly. Paul was his biggest rival today, since they were both tied on points. He had to stay ahead of Paul.

Inside the Redbulldozer Racing garage, Dutto also frowned. "That start was appalling," he muttered more to himself than anyone else.

"I'll make a note of that," Leyland said beside him. "That's not the first time Lightning's had a weak start, so we can't blame the nausea medication for that. Plus, he's still not used to doing a standing start. We'll have to work on that."

Nodding, Dutto returned his attention to the screens in front of him.

Out on the track, Lightning was trying to settle into a rhythm, but he was bumped several more times by Paul. By the time the field had reached Kolb Corner for the first time, Lightning had settled into third with Paul directly behind him. Pithers and Le Broc had already created a significant lead, which surprised Lightning.

 _What is going on with me today?_ he wondered as he accelerated coming out of Kolb corner. He was so caught up with that thought that he failed to notice just how perfectly he'd negotiated Kolb Corner, and that he didn't feel sick this time around.

"How are you feeling, Lightning?" Dutto asked him anxiously as Lightning raced down the home straight.

"Annoyed," came the reply.

Dutto and Leyland exchanged grins.

"Go on and catch 'em, Speedster," Dutto ordered.

"Copy that."

"Paul's dropped back a bit," Dutto informed him a few seconds later. "Try and find some clean air."

"Okay."

Knowing that Dutto was telling him to give it everything he had to get into the lead, Lightning changed up a gear. By the time he'd reached Kolb corner again, Lightning had closed the gap between himself and Le Broc. As he came onto the straight again, Lightning moved over into the centre of the track to try and gauge just how much distance he needed to make up. He was now directly in Le Broc's slipstream and looking for an opportunity to overtake.

"Stay focused, Speedster," Dutto gently reminded him as Lightning entered Kolb Corner again on lap four.

Lightning gritted his teeth as he used the g-forces to his advantage. With every corner, he seemed to be making ground on Le Broc.

Coming into the final turn of lap four, Lightning saw his first opportunity to overtake. Moving to the inside, he accelerated. Le Broc seemed to have lost the pace he'd had at the start of the race. But as Lightning overtook Le Broc, he accidentally locked up his front left wheel.

"Adjust your brake bias, Lightning," Dutto quickly ordered.

Lightning promptly did so as he negotiated both the corner and the overtaking manoeuvre. However, as he entered the home straight, he found that Le Broc was still a little bit too close for comfort, and the two racers accidentally touched each other.

"Nice overtake," Dutto praised as Lightning finished the job by blocking Le Broc. "The commentators think you were a little bit aggressive though, so just settle down. We don't want the officials thinking the same thing. You're only racing Paul today, remember?"

Lightning did as he was told, but he continued to accelerate, pushing to try and catch up to Pithers. He wanted to win today, even if it was just to prove to himself that he was still a champion, despite his accident. He needed to win for the confidence boost he knew it would give him.

Finally, on lap eleven, Lightning saw his chance to overtake Pithers. As he entered Kolb Corner, he could feel the G-forces pulling him to the inside of the curve. Remembering what Craig had said about Kolb Corner being like the banked corners on a Piston Cup track, Lightning decided to try a slingshot manoeuvre. It was risky, since he didn't know if it would work on a dipped corner instead of a banked one, but he knew it was now or never.

To his sheer amazement, it worked! As Lightning rose over the crest, he could still feel the G-forces pushing him, propelling him forwards. Even without pushing his engine to the max, he was still going faster than Pithers. However, Pithers saw him coming, and he accelerated. Together, the two of them raced side-by-side down the straight, heading for the final corner. Later, Craig told him that the commentators had described the scene as a 'drag-race', and that they'd been amazed that the two of them hadn't touched at that point.

As they entered the final corner of the lap, Lightning, being on the inside, knew he had the advantage. Racing into the corner, he felt Pithers brush up against his left rear fender, but that was all.

"Good work, Lightning," Dutto said over the radio once Lightning was clear of Pithers. "You're good now. Just stay calm."

Lightning didn't respond. Now that he was in the clear, he knew he had to stay there. By the time he reached Kolb Corner again, he'd already put some significant distance between him and Pithers.

"You've one-point-three seconds ahead of Pithers," Dutto informed him as he completed lap thirteen. "You need to start conserving your tyres now. You only have two new sets for the whole weekend, so keep an eye on your brake bias, and try to stay on the racing line."

"Copy that, Dutto," Lightning replied. But he was feeling confident now, and he didn't want to ease off. After all, he was used to finishing well ahead of the field. However, he knew that Dutto was thinking ahead to the two races he had tomorrow, so he began to settle into a rhythm.

Lightning remained in the lead for the rest of the race. By the twenty-sixth lap, he was five seconds ahead of Pithers – a _huge_ margin, considering the track was only 2.4 kilometres long. He didn't know it then, but Craig and Jamie had returned to the garage by then to prepare for their next race, which was scheduled to begin straight after the Development Series race.

Craig watched Lightning keenly from pit row. He now had ninety-nine wins to his name, which was a record for the V8 Supercars, and now he was on the brink of claiming his hundredth win. He loved racing at Barbagallo, so he was thrilled to see just how well Lightning had taken his advice on board. His youngest teammate was flying out there! It was a far cry from the qualifying round.

 _If you'd raced like that during your qualifying round, mate, you'd have been on pole,_ Craig thought as he continued to keep his eyes on the red streak that zoomed straight past him, heading into the final lap. _Keep it up, and you'll be a huge threat to me next year. And probably Jamie too. Not to mention Prodrive…_ Craig glanced down pit row at the Prodrive racing garage. The Ford team was now their main rivals in the Championship Series. He knew it was up to him to keep Frosty and his teammates off the podium. Jamie just seemed to be struggling too much this year…

Lightning won the race. Paul finished in fourth place, an incredible ten seconds behind Lightning. Pithers finished 6.7 seconds behind Lightning.

"Good work, Lightning," Leyland praised over the radio. "Well driven; well managed."

Lightning couldn't hide the grin plastered on his face as he went for his victory lap. He'd done it! Not only had he proven to himself that he was still a champion, but he'd also extended his championship lead, making it very clear that he was now the car to beat in the Development Series.

…

The second sprint race went well for the Redbulldozer team, but unfortunately they couldn't keep the Prodrive racers off the podium. Frosty won, spoiling Craig's potential hundredth win. He finished in second, with Coulthard in third. Jamie finished in fifth, giving his points tally a healthy boost.

"You've all done very well today, congratulations," Leyland said to his tired racers in the garage later that afternoon. "Make sure you all get plenty of rest. It's going to be even harder tomorrow. Lightning, you have two sprint races, and Craig and Jamie, you both have the big one tomorrow. I'm really proud of all of you for your efforts today."

"Thanks, Leyland," the three racers muttered wearily as they drove slowly out of the garage. Leyland and Dutto watched then leave.

"I think we exhausted them today," Leyland said with a wink. "They're not usually so keen to go to bed."

Dutto chuckled. "Hopefully they'll still be a bit tired in the morning. It's easier to wake a racer up than it is to settle them down. Let's go over all this data now, or we'll be up all night."

Commentary adapted from Fox Sports live telecast.

 **So sorry about the delay everyone! I've been enduring my mid-semester exams, and so I've had little time to work on any of my stories. Hopefully this nice, long chapter will make up for that. Again, I really look forward to your reviews, so please keep them coming. Oh, and the good news is that James Courtney is recovering well, although it's uncertain about when he'll be able to return to the racetrack. Hopefully, it will be soon.**

 **I'm not sure about when I'll be able to update next, but probably in about another week or so. I still have an exam and an assignment to finish off before the pressure eases for a few weeks. Thanks you for your patience.**


	25. Chapter 25 - Day 3 at Perth Supersprint

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 25 – Day 3 at the Perth Supersprint

 **Perth Supersprint, Day 3 - Barbagallo Raceway, Wanneroo, 50 kms north of Perth, Western Australia – Sunday, 3 May 2015**

The next morning, Lightning joined everyone for the teams' breakfast. He wasn't too surprised when the racers congregated on one side of the tent, while the team owners and pit crews mingled together on the other side. It seemed to be fairly normal.

"How's the feud between James and Will panning out?" Lightning asked Craig.

At that precise moment, everyone looked up when they heard someone shout, "DON'T TALK TO ME!" The voice belonged to Will Drivinson.

Craig sighed heavily. "Don't ask. So, how did you feel after yesterday's race?"

"Tired, but pretty good. I've already booked a session with Doctor Anderson, so I'll be ready to race by ten o'clock."

"Kolb Corner?"

Lightning smiled. "I think I've got the hang of it now, thanks to you. You were right. This track was made for me."

Marcus Ambrose drove over to them. "Hi Craig. Lightning. I saw your race yesterday, Lightning. You were incredible!"

"Uh, thanks, but I wouldn't go that far…"

"Don't be so modest," Craig said, nudging his teammate with his tyre. "You were fantastic. I saw it myself."

"Yeah," Marcus agreed, "I've seen many racers switch codes, but none have ever done it as smoothly as you have. And I speak from experience. So, what's your secret?"

Lightning shrugged his fenders. "I just have a brilliant team behind me."

"Not to mention the fact that, aside from your Jaguar Syndrome, you are incredibly talented," Craig grinned.

Lightning groaned, and he closed his eyes. "Gee, thanks Craig!" he said sarcastically. "I'm not the only racer who has Jaguar Syndrome; you know that!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the tent, Leyland was chatting casually with the Prodrive team owner, Rusty French.

"I can see now why you were so keen to get Lightning McQueen on your team," Rusty was saying. "He's an incredibly talented racer."

"Thanks. I knew from the moment I saw him racing in America that he was special."

"When does his contract run out?" Rusty asked.

Leyland chuckled. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I think Lightning's planning to return to the Piston Cup once his contract with us ends. Sure, I'll be sorry to see him go, but he needs to decide what's best for him. At least I can say that we gave him back the drive he needed."

"I think I'll still have a little chat with him," Rusty said, winking.

Leyland shook his front in disbelief. "Not today, please. I need his full concentration."

"Very well," Rusty begrudgingly agreed.

Hearing some laughter coming from the racers, Leyland chuckled again. He was glad they were all enjoying themselves. After their efforts the day before, they needed to relax while they could.

After breakfast, the Redbulldozer Racing team focused on preparing Lightning for his second race of the weekend. Since he'd won the race the day before, he'd be starting on pole for this next race.

"Lightning, we need to have a little chat," Leyland said as he watched Dr Anderson giving Lightning some physio inside the transporter.

"Mmm…?" Lightning moaned contently as Dr Anderson stretched out his stiff axles. "What about?"

"Three things. First of all, you should know that I've had the Prodrive team owner approach me about the possibility of securing you for his team after 2016. I told him that you might be planning to return to the Piston Cup then, but he still wants to talk to you."

"I'm guessing you want me to say 'no'? Ow!"

Dr Anderson quickly removed his forklift arms from Lightning front right axle. "Sorry! Where'd it hurt?"

"I'm not exactly sure. I think there might be a bruise there somewhere."

"What would cause that?" Leyland wondered, concerned.

"Debris on the track." Dr Anderson replied. He gently massaged Lightning's axle again. "How's that feel?"

"Yeah, that's better. You were saying, Leyland?"

"What? Oh, yes. I want you to make up your own mind about your future. Of course, we'd all miss you if you decided to change teams or return to America, but you mustn't let us influence your decisions."

"To be honest, Leyland, I'm not even thinking past next year. Not yet, anyway. It's too soon. I'll listen to all options with an open mind, of course, but I won't be deciding anything soon."

Leyland nodded. "My second question is, would you like to be Craig's co-racer in the Enduros again this year? I won't put any pressure on you to do so, since I know how exhausting this year has been for you so far. You don't have to give me an answer today, but I will need to know soon, just in case I need to find someone else."

Lightning didn't bother to reply. Leyland noticed that he did look thoughtful though. After a moment, Lightning spoke up again.

"What was your third point?"

"Dutto and I want to talk to you about your starts."

"Oh. Sorry I screwed that up yesterday."

"Yeah, well. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, I suppose. Unfortunately, starts are one thing we're not allowed to practice, so you'll just have to learn how to perfect them out on the track. I'll let Dutto run through them more with you. Don't worry. You'll get it soon. I can understand how hard it must be going from rolling starts to standing starts."

"Mmm… Is that all?"

Leyland nodded. "For now. I'll see you back in the garage."

"How's my axle?" Lightning asked Dr Anderson once Leyland had gone.

"Just bruised. I can give you some ice for it, but since it occurred yesterday, I think it's a bit late for that."

"Yeah. I'll be okay, thanks."

"Okay. Are you feeling stiff anywhere else?"

"No, that feels fantastic! Thanks."

"You're welcome. Good luck out there today."

"Thanks. I might see you again after lunch."

"I can manage that. See you then."

Lightning returned to the pit garage. Seeing Leyland and Dutto talking quietly, Lightning went over to the bar fridge to get one of his protein drinks. After a few minutes, Dutto drove over to him.

"Come over to my computer please, Lightning. We need to discuss your starts."

For the next ten minutes, Dutto and Lightning talked about ways in which Lightning could improve his starts. By the end of the discussion, Lightning was ready to race. He was just about to go and talk to Craig and Jamie, when he was ambushed by Kori.

"Hey, Lightning! Congratulations on your win yesterday."

"Yeah, thanks, Kori."

"You're starting from pole for today's first race. Do you think that'll give you an advantage?"

"Maybe, since the pole position is on the racing line. It's hard to tell with this track though, since it's so unpredictable. Anything can happen out there; especially during a sprint race. I'll just have to do my very best, and hope it is good enough to win."

"Great, thanks, Lightning."

Smiling, Lightning turned away to finish getting ready to race.

…

Shortly after ten o'clock, Lightning led the rest of the Development Series racers around the track for their warm-up lap. Lightning weaved around whenever he could, to help bring his tyres up to pressure. He was actually feeling pretty confident about this race, but he tried not to show it. Over-confidence was usually a racer's undoing. He knew what he had to do, and he knew how to do it. He just needed to do it.

Dutto got on the radio to guide Lightning into the grid. "Ease up there, Speedster. Good. Keep rolling forwards slowly. That's it. All right… Stop! Good, that's perfect! Don't forget what I said about the start."

"I won't. I'll do my best, Dutto," Lightning promised.

"Green flag, Lightning, green flag," Dutto told him.

Keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the starting lights, Lightning revved his engine aggressively. Seconds later, the lights went out. Lightning floored it, accelerating quickly. By the time he'd reached the first corner, he knew he'd had a good start, because nobody else had decided to challenge him.

"Good start, Speedster," Dutto praised. "Pither and Paul had bad starts. Just drive cleanly, don't lose concentration, and you should be okay."

"Copy that, Dutto."

Nobody was surprised when, about half an hour later, Lightning crossed the finish line in first place, with a three second lead over Le Broc. Paul finished in tenth place, giving Lightning a clear lead in the series points.

"Congratulations, Lightning," Paul said as the racers made their way back to pit row.

"Thanks. It sounded like you had a bit of a tough time out there today."

"Ah, racing on old tyres doesn't make things easy. Tell me, did you go out on old or new tyres?"

"Old."

"Remarkable!" Paul mused.

Chuckling, Lightning returned to his team's garage to find a couple of officials waiting for him.

"Mr McQueen? We're conducting random fuel tests. Come with us, please."

Sighing with frustration, Lightning glanced at Leyland. Leyland cast him his 'don't-cause-any-trouble' look. Knowing that he couldn't avoid it, Lightning reluctantly went with the officials.

There were about ten racers from the Development Series who were being subjected to the random fuel test. As Lightning was making his way out of the room, he made eye contact with Renee Gracie. She scowled.

"You think you're soooo good, don't you?" she sneered. "Then again, I suppose it doesn't take much to be a champion when you have the best team supporting you."

Lightning sighed tiredly. "We all had to start at the bottom…"

"Bet you didn't!"

"How much?"

Renee raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Look, I did start at the bottom, and it took me at least two years before I was noticed by the major sponsors, so don't give me that attitude, please. You won't get anywhere in racing with it."

"You're next, Mr McQueen," an official said as he ushered Lightning into a private area.

…

At eleven-thirty, Lightning joined Craig and Jamie for lunch. It was the first time the racing schedule had given them enough time to be able to do so.

"How did the fourth practice session go for you two?" Lightning asked as he sipped on his protein oil.

"Don't ask!" his teammates snapped in unison.

Lightning raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Um, okay…"

"Sorry, Speedster," Jamie sighed. "It's just so hard when you're giving it everything you've got, and it just isn't good enough."

"I'd love to know where Prodrive found their speed," Craig muttered despondently. "They've never been this good before."

Lightning gulped. He knew that now was not the time to mention Prodrive's interest in him. "Maybe they just want to win more than you do." He knew that was a pathetic response. Luckily, Craig and Jamie chose to ignore it.

"We'd better get back to the garage," Jamie said after a few minutes of silence. "We've got qualifying in fifteen minutes."

"Coming. Good luck in your next race, Speedster."

"Thanks."

After Lightning had finished his lunch, he went to the transporter to find Dr Anderson. While Lightning underwent another physiotherapy session, he watched the Championship Series qualifying round on the TV. It was very close. Jamie qualified in fourth, 0.28 of a second off the pace, while Craig ended up in sixth, 0.3 behind the winner, Chaz Mostert – a Prodrive racer. Lightning groaned softly.

"Sorry, did I hurt you again?" Dr Anderson asked.

"No. Tell me, is the whole team worried about Prodrive Racing Australia?"

"Of course. They've never been this dominant before."

"I see. Thanks. I'd better get over to the garage now, before Leyland comes looking for me."

"Good luck."

…

Nobody was surprised when Lightning won the third Development Series race of the weekend. He'd led from start to finish; finishing with a staggering 15.8 second lead over Paul, who finished in second place. Lightning had never looked back, even when incidents occurred behind him. Dutto barely had to speak to him throughout the entire race. Leyland still wasn't happy with Lightning's start, but since everyone else had had a poor start, he'd decided to discuss that with Lightning during the teams' debrief the following day.

On his way back to the team's garage, Lightning was surprised when Rusty French indicated for him to stop in front of the Prodrive garage.

"Hey, Lightning? Can I talk to you later tonight, please? Dinner? At the Piazza Hotel? I'll pay."

"Uh…" Lightning hesitated. But then he realised that even if he didn't accept whatever offer Rusty had for him, he'd still get a free meal. He wasn't stupid enough to pass that up! "Sure."

"Seven o'clock?"

"I'll be there."

…

About six hours later, Lightning drove into the foyer of the Piazza Hotel. He'd been feeling rather nervous about this meeting all afternoon, since he was, in a sense, entering enemy territory. He'd told Leyland, in confidence, about his meeting with Rusty as soon as he'd arrived back at the team's garage. As he'd expected, Leyland hadn't been surprised, but he had looked worried.

"Just make sure your drink doesn't get spiked," he'd whispered.

"I doubt they'd stoop that low," Lightning had replied.

"This is Prodrive we're talking about. They'd stoop to anything to win."

Lightning frowned thoughtfully as he entered the dining room. The team hadn't done too badly that afternoon in the Championship race, with Craig finishing in second position behind Will Drivinson. Sadly, Jamie had finished in nineteenth. He was still fuming about it.

"Would you like a table, sir?" the forklift concierge asked.

"I'm dining with Mr French tonight," Lightning replied, instantly remembering the upper-class etiquette his family had spent years drumming into him during his childhood. "He is expecting me."

"Certainly, sir. Would you please follow me?"

Lightning followed the concierge over to a table over on the other side of the room. He was surprised to see Frosty parked beside Rusty.

"Thank you," Lightning said to the concierge as he joined the others at the table. "I wasn't expecting to see you here tonight, Frosty."

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you, Lightning. Knowing how strict Leyland is, I'm surprised he let you come tonight."

"That's enough, you two," Rusty interjected. "I've also invited our team manager, Tim Edwards, here tonight. Chaz has decided to go to bed early tonight. He's not feeling too well after the race."

 _Not enough protein, I'll bet,_ Lightning thought.

Just then, Tim arrived. "Sorry I'm late. I had to make sure Chaz was okay. Have you guys ordered yet?"

"Not yet," Rusty replied. "We can do that first, and then we'll talk business. Waiter!"

After everyone had ordered their meals, Rusty directed his attention to Lightning. "Lightning, I'm sure Leyland must have mentioned to you that I had a discussion with him over breakfast this morning?"

"Yes, he did mention it."

"The point is, he didn't tell me when your contract with Redbulldozer will end. Can you enlighten me, please?"

"It ends in December 2016."

Rusty and Tim exchanged glances.

"I see."

"We were hoping it would end this year," Tim added. "However, I'm sure we can persuade Leyland to change his mind."

"Look, guys, you seem to have decided that I'm going to join your team, but you haven't even asked me yet," Lightning reminded them.

"Sorry," Tim apologised. "I was getting ahead of myself. Of course, it's entirely your decision, and we'll respect that. But surely even you can see that Redbulldozer has run its course."

"They're way down the leader board this year, and it's going to get worse for them," Rusty continued. "Sure, they had a good run, but Prodrive is now the team to beat, and we want you to join us as soon as you can. I'm prepared to offer you two million dollars a year for your name on a two year contract with us."

Lightning chuckled silently to himself. He was really enjoying this. "Is that how much you think I'm worth as a racer?"

"That's the highest amount CAMS will let us pay a full-time racer in the Championship Series," Tim replied. "Unfortunately, salary caps are a part of racing life here in Australia."

"Look, guys, it isn't about the money at all…"

"How much were you earing in America?" Frosty asked.

"More than you've earned in your entire career," Lightning shot back. The shocked expression on Frosty's face was worth it.

Rusty cleared his throat. "So, Lightning, what do you say?"

Lightning drew in a deep breath and he drove forwards a few inches. "To be perfectly honest with you, I haven't given much thought to what I'll do after my contract with Redbulldozer runs out. While I'd love to go back to the Piston Cup one day, I'm really enjoying my time with Redbulldozer Racing. They're a fantastic team, even if they aren't doing as well as they would like to this year. At least nobody's disappointed with my performance, and I don't intend to let them down now by accepting a contract with a rival team."

Rusty and Tim were silent for a moment. Frosty just scowled at Lightning.

"Does that mean, 'no'?" Tim finally asked.

Lightning nodded. "I'm sorry, guys, but I've only been racing full-time here in Australia for about four months, and you're already offering me a contract. It's…rather overwhelming actually."

"I understand," Rusty said, nodding. "But don't be afraid to come to us later if you change your mind. Our offer will remain open until you make your final decision."

Lightning nodded as the waiter arrived with their meals.

"So tell me, Lightning," Frosty said once the waiter had gone, "How's your new brake bias lever working for you?"

Shocked, Lightning blinked at him. "H-how did you know about that?"

"I have my sources," Frosty replied, shrugging his fenders. "I'll bet it must have been painful having it installed. But, then again, it must have really helped you going around Kolb corner earlier today and yesterday."

"That's enough, Mark!" Tim snapped.

"Yes, we know about the brake bias lever your team's now using," Rusty explained. "You can tell Leyland that we're not concerned about it. We're beating you guys anyway, so it's obviously not doing anything for you."

"How did you find out about it?" Lightning asked quietly. He wasn't feeling hungry now. He only hoped that he wasn't to blame for letting the secret out.

"Simple. We saw footage of it when Jamie was getting his tyres changed during a pit stop in Tasmania," Rusty replied.

Lightning breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad it wasn't his fault. With that, he began eating.

…

"Leyland?" Lightning called as he drove into the team's garage the following morning.

"I'm over here, Lightning," Leyland replied.

Lightning drove over to where Leyland was busy filling out paperwork.

"You'll be pleased to know that you passed your fuel test yesterday," Leyland told him.

"What? Oh, that doesn't matter now. Did you know that Prodrive know about 'the stick'?"

Leyland was surprised. "When did they find out about it? And who told them?"

"They saw it during the TV coverage of Tasmania when Jamie was getting a tyre change during a pit stop."

"Oh. I see… Did you find out any of their secrets?"

"Only that they offered me two million dollars to join their team once my contract with you runs out."

Leyland whistled softly. "Two million? That would be a record in the V8s… So, what did you say?"

"I told them I hadn't decided anything yet, which is the truth. It wasn't a pleasant evening, to be honest. They spent half the time bragging about how good they were, and the rest of the time saying that Redbulldozer Racing was past it. I was almost put off my food just listening to them."

"I'm sorry about that. Now you know why we're rivals."

"Yeah. I'm surprised they didn't start powdering my ego by saying just how talented I am as a racer! The way they talked about themselves was sickening really. I'm glad I didn't accept their offer on a whim. I'd be regretting it now if I had. Oh well. I'm glad it's over."

"Hey. Cheer up! You had a brilliant weekend! Three first places in a row after having such a serious accident like you had, isn't something to be brushed off lightly. Don't let whatever rubbish they said ruin it. It's time for the team's debrief now. We can talk again later."

"Sure," Lightning smiled. "Whenever you're ready."

 **First of all, I** ** _deeply_** **apologise for taking so long to update! I was so mentally exhausted after my mid-semester exams and assignments that I had writer's block for about five days. Then I went and caught a cold... So, again, I'm really sorry. I hope the length of this chapter will make up for the delay. I must say that this chapter went off in a direction I hadn't even considered, so I guess the rest has done me some good! I hope you enjoy it, and please review. And don't worry - the grand wedding IS coming! I promise!**


	26. Chapter 26 - Wedding Preparations

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 26 – Wedding Preparations

 **Brisbane International Airport – Monday, 11** **th** **May, 2015**

"This is what I love about Australia," Lightning said to Craig while they waited in the arrivals terminal at the Brisbane International Airport. "I can go about my everyday life without being mobbed by thousands of fans. I just get the occasional fan snapping a distant picture of me, and that's about it."

"Yeah, we Aussies try to be respectful of celebrities," Craig replied. "Usually, fans will wait until there's an official 'meet and greet' to meet with their favourite celebrities." Glancing at a nearby clock, he frowned worriedly. "We're going to be late for training."

"Don't worry. I phoned Leyland last night and told him we'd probably be late. He's also promised to give everyone a tour of headquarters."

"I'll bet Dutto was thrilled about that."

"I wouldn't know. But that's his problem."

Craig couldn't help laughing.

"What?" Lightning asked innocently.

"Nothing. You're just sounding more and more Australian every day. Oh good. Sally's coming back."

"Their flight's landed," Sally reported as she re-joined them. "They should be going through customs now."

"Hopefully they'll pass through it quickly," Lightning replied. He gave Sally a quick peck on her fender.

"So, who's arriving this morning?" Craig asked.

"My mother, both of my aunts, Sally's parents, Dr Spark, Mack, Rusty, Dusty, and all of our friends from Radiator Springs. Unfortunately, none of my Piston Cup friends are able to make it because they're racing that weekend, so we're going to let them see our wedding live via satellite."

"I can't believe we're going to be married in just two weeks!" Sally squealed excitedly. "Oh, look! Here they come. Mum! Dad! Over here!"

Lightning, Sally and Craig drove forwards as their guests emerged from the customs area.

"Lightnin'!" Mater screeched excitedly. Before anyone could stop him, he raced straight over to his best friend, and hooked him by his front left-hand tyre. Mater spun Lightning around several times before Sally interceded.

"That's enough, Mater. You don't want to make him dizzy."

"Whoa!" Lightning gasped once Mater had let him go. Before he could fully recover, everyone had gathered around him, all asking him questions at a mile a minute.

"Wow, Lightning! You look great! When did you get the new paintjob?"

"And the rear-view mirrors?"

"We really missed you."

"Are you sure you're okay after that accident?"

"We were really worried about you, man."

"When are you gonna come home to Radiator Springs?"

"Where are you and Sally living now?"

"Is everything arranged for the wedding?"

"Okay, everyone! Break it up, please!" Craig ordered as Lightning, completely overwhelmed, collapsed heavily onto his chassis. "I know you're all keen to talk, but Lightning and I still have a race meeting this weekend, and we're already late for training, so let's get outta here!"

Reluctantly, everyone followed Lightning, Sally and Craig out of the airport. Elinor gave Lightning a quick kiss on his fender.

"I'm glad to see for myself that you're well and happy," she told him.

"Yeah. It's great to see you again, mum. How's everything going back home?"

"Good. I'm working on plans to extend the clinic. It's not something I ever thought I'd have to do, but I know Doc would be proud to see just how much everyone relies on it."

"Is your training place far from here?" Sherriff asked Craig.

"No. It's only about ten minutes away."

"We've really missed having you race for us," Rusty said to Lightning.

"I know, but I'm really happy racing with Redbulldozer Racing. More importantly, I'm actually enjoying racing again. You'll get to watch me in action again this weekend."

"I almost didn't recognise you in your new paintjob, boss," Mack said.

Lightning glanced down at the Redbulldozer logo on his bonnet. "Yeah, well… Different team; different sponsors. You know how it is."

"So, how are you enjoying living in Australia, Lightning?" Aunt May asked him.

"Actually, I'm loving it! It's great not having to race every single weekend. It means I can spend a lot more time with Sally. That's very important to both of us. Back home, I wasn't able to spend as much time with her, because I was racing every single weekend; except during the off-season, of course."

Before long, the group arrived at the Redbulldozer Racing team's headquarters. Mack, being too big to go inside, stayed outside to chat to Red – the team's transporter truck. Everyone else went inside.

"Morning Susan," Craig said to the pretty pink receptionist.

"Morning, Craig. Lightning. Dutto's waiting for you both in the training room. I'll let Leyland know that your friends and family are here for their tour."

"Can't I go wit' ya, buddy?" Mater begged.

"You need to stay with us, Mater," Sherriff told him firmly.

"Oh! But I've seen dis place before…"

"We'll see you guys later," Lightning smiled. He winked wickedly at Craig. "Race ya?"

"Now you're just showing off," Craig snorted. "Come on, Speedster…"

Lightning and Craig headed upstairs to the training room, where they knew that Jamie was already undergoing his morning training session.

Meanwhile, Leyland joined the large group downstairs. "Morning, everyone, and welcome to the headquarters of Redbulldozer Racing Australia. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Leyland Dane, and I'm the owner of this team. Before we begin this tour, I need to lay down a few ground rules. First of all, please do not take any photographs without permission. This is very important, because we have many secrets here that we don't want our rival teams to see. And before you ask, yes, some of Lightning's new parts are top secret, so please don't ask him to show them to you, because the answer will be 'no'. The same goes for Craig and Jamie. Also, please do not talk about anything you see or hear here today, for the same reason. Right, now that we have that out of the way, please follow me."

Together, the group followed Leyland over to the cafeteria.

"Obviously, this is our cafeteria," Leyland said. "Most of us are here all day long, so this is where we meet for our meals, and sometimes we have brief meetings over a drink here too." He pointed to a small bar fridge with his tyre. "The number one rule around here is that nobody is allowed to touch this fridge, except for our team manager, Dutto, the team doctor, Doctor Andrews, and our racers. That's because this fridge contains drinks that have been specially formulated for Lightning, Craig and Jamie. Their health and fitness is our primary concern, so they get only the very best around here."

"Do they get the same stuff at the racetrack?" Fillmore asked.

"Depends. Sometimes on race day, they may not be feeling a hundred percent; especially if they've had to qualify the day before, so then their drinks are adjusted to suit their needs. These drinks aren't all the same, which is why they're all labelled. I see that Jamie's already taken one with him. Once they've finished a drink, they put the empty bottles back inside the fridge. That way, Dutto and Doctor Andrews can see exactly how much each racer has had each day."

"Do you know what Lightning's getting in his?" Dr Spark asked.

"I'm afraid not," Leyland replied. "The formulas are adjusted a lot, so you'd have to ask Dr Anderson for specifics on that. Right, shall we move on?"

The next stop in Leyland's tour was Dr Andrews' office and medical clinic, followed by Dr Anderson's office. He then showed them the meeting room, and the engineers' laboratory where new parts were being designed and tested. Everyone was completely amazed by just how seriously everyone took their jobs.

"And here we were thinking that Lightning had sold himself short by changing racing codes," Dusty muttered to Rusty, "This place is incredible!"

"Now I can see why Lightning was so keen to sign up with them," Rusty sighed sadly. "He's in seven-star luxury, with teammates _and_ he's only racing, at worst, every second weekend. I know he's not getting paid anywhere near the amount he was getting in the Piston Cup, but the benefits he's getting more than make up for it."

Leyland pretended he hadn't overheard Lightning's former team owners as he lead the group upstairs to the training room. Even he was surprised by the scene that greeted them as they entered the room. Dutto had obviously left the room for just a moment, leaving Davo and Grant in charge of overseeing Jamie's, Craig's and Lightning's training session. The stereo system was up at full volume, so it could be heard above the deafening roar of the three racers' engines as they trained on their individual rolling roads. The V8 Supercars anthem, 'Beautiful Noise' was playing, and Jamie, Craig and Lightning were all singing along to it.

"…It's a beautiful noise! It's a beautiful noise! The rumble of thunder rolling downunder! It's man and machine! It's chasing the dream! It's the V8 thrill! The crowd on the hill! It's a beautiful noise! It's the v8 howling, dropping through the gears…"

Leyland drove over to the computer system in the centre of the room, and he switched off the stereo. For a few seconds, the three racers kept singing, until they realised they no longer had their backing music. Davo moved his forklift arm in front of his face, signalling for all three of them to cut their engines. They promptly did so, but it took a couple of minutes for them to safely roll to a complete stop.

"We really need to get you guys some headsets, so we can talk to you above the din in here," Leyland said.

"What?" Jamie shouted, teasingly, making Craig and Lightning chuckle.

"Where's Dutto gone?" Leyland asked.

"He went to get the notes he took while we were at Perth," Davo replied. "He wanted to work on Lightning's reaction time for the race starts."

Leyland nodded. "What are Craig and Jamie working on today?"

"I'm focussing on endurance for Craig today," Grant said. "He's doing five hundred kilometres at two-hundred and eighty kilometres an hour."

"Good. And Jamie?"

"Balance. That was what was wrong with him at Perth. He might need to see Dr Andrews about his anti-roll bars," Davo answered.

"I am NOT having any more surgery!" Jamie scowled.

"You may not have a choice," Leyland growled. "Something's happened to you between Sydney last year, and the Australian Grand Prix this year. And no, you can't blame Lightning's accident on that. Something has definitely happened to you, and we intend to figure it out before it's too late."

Dutto returned then, pushing his way past Lightning's friends and family, who were now mostly inside the training room.

"Got the notes. Sorry, I left them in my office. Okay, Lightning… Let's see if we can get your zero to a hundred down from three-point-two seconds…"

Lightning snorted. "It's never been done yet."

"Watch the lights," Dutto ordered, pointing to the mock-starting lights in the corner of the room.

"I thought were weren't allowed to practice our starts?" Lightning said.

"You can, so long as it's not at the racetrack," Leyland explained.

"Ooohhh! Okay."

Keeping his eyes fixed on the starting lights, Lightning revved his engine several times until the lights went out. Then he floored it. As soon as his speed reached a hundred kilometres an hour, Dutto signalled for him to stop. Leyland sighed heavily.

"Still too slow. Seriously, I would've thought that a former Piston Cup racer would have a zero to a hundred of three seconds or even less."

"Be fair, Leyland," Craig interrupted. "Our zero-to-a hundred is only three-point-four seconds."

"You all know that in this game, even microseconds count. Lightning's in the unusual position where he's qualifying faster than most of the other racers in his class, so our aim now is to get him off that starting line faster than the rest of them. That way, he can maintain his leads and, hopefully stay clear of all the traffic."

"It'd be easier if we could do rolling starts," Lightning muttered.

"Well, you can't, so let's just get on with this. Three seconds is what you're aiming for."

Groaning, Lightning focussed on the lights again. The result was the same. Leyland shook his front.

"Keep practicing. We'll leave you guys alone now."

"I have a question, Leyland," Sherriff said. "Why are they practicing on rolling roads instead of on a racetrack?"

"We only have three practice days at a racetrack each year," Leyland replied. "Two of them are for all the V8 racers. We only have one private team session that we're allowed to use at our discretion at any time during the racing season. We haven't used ours yet."

"Do you know when you will?" Rusty asked.

"No, and even if I did, I'm not likely to tell you," Leyland replied firmly as he shooed the group out of the training room.

…

Later that afternoon, Sally and her mother, Rachel, took Elinor, May, Susan, Flo and Lizzie to the bridal shop in Brisbane's CBD, where Sally hoped to settle on the final design for her wedding veil.

"Oh, if only I hadn't lost my grandmother's one in the fire," Sally mourned as she tried on the fifth veil she liked. "It was perfect. None of these really suit me, or the vintage theme of our wedding."

"I think the second one looks the most vintage," Flo said.

Sally tried it on again. She groaned in despair. "Whoever would've thought it'd be so hard to have a vintage themed wedding? Maybe I should just change the theme."

"You can't do that!" Rachel protested. "Not after all the hard work everyone's done to source vintage products for it."

May and Elinor exchanged knowing glances. It was time for them to spring their surprise on Sally.

"How about this one?" May suggested as she carefully placed the veil down on Sally's roof.

Sally's jaw dropped in astonishment. "I didn't see this one before!" She turned to the retail assistant, who'd been looking after her. "Where have you been hiding this one?"

"In my attic," May replied before the assistant could say anything.

Sally turned back to face May. "What?"

"Sally, dear," Elinor began, speaking gently, "This is the veil I wore on the day I married Lightning's father."

"What?"

Elinor nodded. "Lightning wanted you to have it after he learned that you'd lost your grandmother's wedding veil in the fire. He phoned me to ask if you could borrow it for your wedding, and I agreed."

"It took me weeks to find it," May added. "It's been dry cleaned and we noticed that some of the stitching had come loose, so it's been repaired as well. It's ready for you to use, if you want to."

Tears had already filled Sally's eyes. "H-has Lightning ever seen it?"

"Only in photographs," Elinor answered. "And even then, he was very young, so he probably won't remember it very well, if at all."

Sally nodded slowly as she looked at herself again in the mirror. "It's perfect. Thank you so much, Elinor! I promise I'll look after it."

"That's settled then," May said, smiling.

Sally looked at the retail assistant again. "Sorry."

The assistant wink in reply, indicating that she'd already known about the veil.

"I'll have to remember to thank Lightning," Sally told herself.

"Thank you, Elinor," Rachel said sincerely. "This is such a lovely thing for you to do for Sally."

"It was Lightning's idea," Elinor reminded her.

"I know, but you didn't have to agree to it, so thank you. Now Sally can have the wedding of her dreams."

 **Once again, thank you so much for your reviews! Please keep them coming. I'm so glad everyone is enjoying this story.**


	27. Chapter 27 - Arriving at Winton

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 27 – Arriving at Winton

 **Winton Motor Raceway, Winton, 209 kms north-east of Melbourne, Victoria – Thursday, 14 May 2015**

"Come on, guys! Pass it over! It's my turn to play!" Jamie insisted. "You've been hogging that game ever since we left Sydney."

"I don't play against amateurs," Lightning said, sticking his tongue out at Jamie. "Besides, Craig's a much better shot than you are!"

Red grunted as he heard the three racers fighting over the game console inside the larger of his two transporter trailers. _Thank goodness we're only ten kilometres away from the racetrack!_ he thought as he lumbered along in the convoy of other V8 Supercars transporters also heading for the racetrack. _I'm sure the journey back to Brisbane will be much quieter after they've burned off all their energy…_ Hearing another 'thud!' he quickly dialled Leyland's phone.

"Hello, Red?" Leyland said upon answering. "Where are you?"

"About ten kilometres from the racetrack. I'm following Dick Johnson's team transporter. But boss? Next time you make me take the racers to a racetrack, could you please make sure they're sedated first?"

"Why, what's the problem?"

"They've been fighting non-stop over the game console for the past five hundred kilometres! My nerves can't take it anymore…" Hearing yet another 'thud!', Red turned on his intercom. "WILL YOU THREE SETTLE DOWN IN THERE!" he shouted. He turned off the intercom before any of them could reply. "Sorry, boss, but they're driving me crazy!"

Leyland chuckled. "Sorry, Red. I'll talk to Dutto about it. It might be easier to install a third controller. They don't travel by road very often, so we just didn't think about it. See you soon."

Red hung up. Frowning with determination, he focussed on following the transporter ahead of him.

A few minutes later, Red drove into the grounds of Winton Motor Raceway. Leyland, Dutto and the rest of the Redbulldozer team were waiting for him at the team's designated parking space. Red managed to reverse into the small space perfectly on his first attempt. The transporter was rocking around from the fight that was still going on inside. Dutto opened up the doors, and with Davo's help, they lowered the ramp.

"Oof! Get off me, Jamie!" Lightning roared, revving his engine aggressively in protest to being pinned down by his heavier teammate.

"Not until you give me that controller!" Jamie yelled.

Leyland blasted his horn. The three racers instantly froze.

"That's enough of this hooliganism!" Leyland shouted. "Jamie, get off Lightning this instant! You're a race car, not a rugby player. I hope you haven't damaged his spoiler. All of you, get out of there."

Sheepishly, Craig, Jamie and Lightning exited the transporter, and they lined up in front of Leyland.

"Now, what have you three got to say for yourselves?"

"Jamie started it," Lightning accused.

"I did not!"

"Yes, you did!" Craig shot back.

"Stop it!" Leyland ordered. "I don't care who started it; I'm finishing it! Now! Let's show a bit of decorum around here. We're a professional racing team, not a bunch of amateurs. Lightning, get inside the garage and we'll check your spoiler for damage. Craig and Jamie, you have a television interview in half an hour, so I suggest you go get yourselves a drink and cool your axles."

Minutes later, everything was quiet again. As Lightning drove down the back of pit row, he saw several other racers inside their team's garages undergoing minor adjustments and repairs after their long journey to the rural racetrack. Reluctantly, he parked himself inside the Redbulldozer Racing team's garage. The team's engineers immediately began assessing his spoiler.

"Yeah, it's too badly damaged," one of the engineers announced. "We'll have to replace it."

Lightning pouted. "Send the bill to Jamie."

The engineers laughed, and they set to work. Sally, Mater, Elinor and Dr Spark entered the garage in time to see the engineers removing Lightning's damaged spoiler.

"Stickers!" Sally exclaimed anxiously. "What happened?"

"Relax, Sal. Jamie decided to crash tackle me in the transporter, that's all. Oh well. I kinda needed a respray anyway. How was your flight?"

"Good, until Mater decided it'd be a good idea to start flinging bits of paper around."

"Hey! I was bored…"

"I wish I could've been so lucky," Lightning muttered. "Hey, Leyland, can we fly back to Brisbane next week, please? I don't think I could stand another journey like that one!"

"Only if you pay for the flight yourself," Leyland replied. "In all honesty, by Monday morning, the three of you will be so worn out, you'll probably just sleep for the whole journey."

"Yeah," Lightning sighed. "You're probably right."

Elinor cleared her throat. "Anyway, we're all staying at the Sovereign Hotel in Benalla. Leyland told us he didn't want us staying in the same hotel as the rest of the team, so you can concentrate on your racing."

Lightning pouted again, and he glanced longingly at Sally. "Trust Leyland to mess with things," he muttered under his breath. Then, louder, he said, "What's he so worried about? That Sally will distract me?"

"Actually, he's more worried about Mater taking you tractor tipping around here, and you getting hurt."

Lightning opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't think of anything to say! Instead, he let his engine growl furiously. "Who told him?"

"That doesn't matter," Sally said, chuckling. "But Rusty and Dusty want to talk to you. They suggested dinner at seven o'clock."

"Sounds good," Lightning agreed. He glanced at the engineers. "You guys about finished there?"

"Almost," one of them replied.

"Oh, Leyland?" Lightning called.

"Yes?"

"I've decided to be Craig's co-racer in the Enduros again this year. If that's still okay with you?"

Leyland grinned. "Of course it is! I'll tell Craig tonight, and tomorrow I'll sort out the paperwork. Thanks. You two make a great team."

"We can relate to each other, that's why," Lightning explained, shrugging his fenders.

Leyland nodded. He knew exactly what Lightning meant.

…

A few hours later, Lightning and Sally drove into the restaurant inside the Sovereign Hotel.

"There they are," Sally said, pointing to Rusty and Dusty with her tyre. They drove over to them.

"Hi, Lightnin'," Dusty said. "Sally. We're glad you could come, considering you have races all weekend."

"I'm not concerned about tomorrow," Lightning replied. "I only have two practice sessions. No biggie."

"As confident as always," Rusty chuckled. "That's why we like you."

"How's Jimmy going for ya?" Lightning asked changing the subject. Jimmy had been a rival racer of Lightning's until after the Piston Cup corruption scandal late the year before. When Lightning had decided to race full-time in Australia, he'd insisted that Rusty and Dusty hire Jimmy, who'd been left without a principle sponsor. They'd been reluctant at first until they'd realised that Lightning would not be signing a new contract with them.

"He's good," Dusty replied. "Not as good as you ever were though. He's currently fifth in the championship."

"He's still young," Lightning encouraged. "Give him time."

"Yeah," Rusty sighed. "He wanted to come with us. Everyone's keen to learn exactly how they race here in Australia. Even Strip wanted to come. It's a shame they're racing every weekend."

"So, tell us," Dusty continued, "Is there anything you've learned here that could be implemented into the Piston Cup?"

"Hmm… You know, there are a lot of things that could be used, but I think the biggest thing I want if I ever go back to racing in the Piston Cup is a full-time physiotherapist. I've never felt better after a race once Doctor Anderson has worked his magic on me."

Lightning's former bosses chuckled.

"Leyland hinted that you'd had some modifications done to you," Dusty said. "What are they?"

Lightning shook his front. "Sorry, that's classified. Although, I can tell you that I do have a temporary speed limiter installed. All V8 Supercars have them, so it's no secret."

"So… You can't tell us anything?" Rusty asked, disappointed.

Lightning decided to change the subject again. "I'm starving! Let's order so we can eat."

 **Sorry this chapter's a bit short. I'm trying to get two chapters written tonight. The next one will be up shortly. Enjoy!**


	28. Chapter 28 - Day 1 at Winton Supersprint

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 28 – Day 1 at the Winton Supersprint

 **Winton Supersprint, Day 1 - Winton Motor Raceway, Winton, 209 kms north-east of Melbourne, Victoria – Friday, 15 May 2015**

Lightning was glad he was allowed to sleep in the next morning. He'd been rather lonely having a hotel room all to himself, since he and Sally were staying in separate hotels this time, but he knew it was for the best. He was a marked car out on the racetrack now, and he could see that it was starting to make Leyland nervous.

While Lightning devoured the breakfast Dutto had left for him, he noticed that he had a voicemail message from Craig. He listened to it while he drank his specially formulated protein oil.

 _"_ _Morning Speedster. You might be interested to know that there's a secret back route to the racetrack that avoids all the traffic. But you need to be good at off-road for it to be worth it, or you'll get stuck. At the roundabout, turn left…"_

Lightning continued listening to the rest of the message, making note of the secret instructions. The back route seemed to be something only the racers knew about.

Before long, Lightning was driving through the small country township of Benalla, heading towards the racetrack. Up ahead, he could see a big queue of cars also heading towards the racetrack via the normal route. Chuckling quietly to himself, he turned left at the roundabout, flooring it once he was out of town and on the open road. Unbeknown to him at the time, Mater had seen him leave town. Confused as to why his best friend was taking the 'wrong' way out to the racetrack, he decided to follow him to find out where he was going.

"Whoo-hoo!" Lightning cheered as he continued racing along the seemingly deserted highway. "Yeah! Ka-chow!"

Suddenly, a siren pierced the air. Glancing in his rear-view mirrors, Lightning saw a police car with lights and sirens going, struggling to catch up to him. Groaning, Lightning slowed down and he pulled over onto the road's dirt shoulder. The police car pulled up beside him. His expression was stern, except for his eyes, which showed amusement.

"Lose the racetrack, did ya?" he asked.

"Yeah," Lightning replied, playing along.

"Do you know how fast you were going, Mr McQueen?"

"Ahh… No. Sorry, officer. I was taking a short-cut, and I wasn't really taking much notice of what I was doing."

"Well, perhaps you should take notice. And instead of watching your speed, you decided to have a bit of a warm-up before you got to the track, right?"

Lightning shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

"All right. Jokes aside now. I clocked you doing a hundred and twenty-five kilometres an hour back there. And what's the maximum speed on rural highways?"

"A hundred?" Lightning guessed.

The police car nodded. "Now I'm sorry to spoil your fun, but it's my duty to issue you with a fine. Race car or not, you were still speeding on a public road. I'll give it to you later at the racetrack. Yeah, you're not the first racer I've caught speeding along here this morning. Since you all seem to know about the short cut, we decided to make sure you're all abiding by the regular road rules. And as part of that, I need to conduct a breath analysis test. Have you ever done one before?"

"Yes," Lightning replied, while at the same time he was kicking himself for being so stupid.

The police car held out the breathalyser that was kept concealed in his wheel rim. "Have you had any alcohol in the past twelve hours?"

"No."

"Good. Just count up to ten into my little machine here…"

Lightning obeyed. The machine beeped before he could even finish counting. There was silence for a few seconds while the police car read the data from the machine on his computer.

"Thank you, Mr McQueen. You're good to go now. Just remember the speed limit, please, and I won't have to pull you over. Oh, and if you're looking for the short-cut, it's through the hole in the fence on the right, just around the next bend. Good luck this weekend."

Lightning quietly muttered his thanks. As the police car left, Lightning phoned Craig.

"Hello, Speedster?"

"You could have warned me that the short-cut was also a speed-trap!" Lightning snapped.

Craig burst out laughing. "Caught you, did they?"

Lightning grimaced. "Geez! And here I was thinking you'd be sympathetic! See you later!"

And with Craig still laughing in his ears, Lightning hung up. Flicking on his indicator, Lightning was about to turn back onto the road, when he heard a familiar engine approaching.

"Hey! Bud!" Mater shouted as he crested the ridge behind him. A moment later, he pulled over beside Lightning. "Why'd ya stop 'ere? What's goin' on?"

"Nothing, Mater. Let's go."

"Err… Da racetrack's this way…"

Lightning smiled wickedly. "Yeah, if you wanna sit in traffic for the next two hours. Follow me. I know a short-cut."

Lightning led the way back onto the road. Mater reluctantly followed him. A few hundred metres further down the road, Lightning found the gap in the fence. The tyre prints of the other racers who'd used the short cut earlier that morning were still visible in the dirt. Grinning, Lightning floored it again as he entered the paddock.

"Yeah!" Lightning shouted excitedly as he began spinning doughnuts. Mater stared at him, eyes wide with surprise as Lightning's brand new paintwork was covered in dust…

…

"WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED TO YOU?" Leyland fairly shrieked when he saw the state of Lightning's body.

"Sorry, Leyland," Lightning said, cringing. "I took a different route, and it turned out to be quite a dustbowl. I didn't scratch anything though."

"Let me be the judge of that!" Leyland turned to the engineers. "Hose him down! Let's just hope none of that dust got into your engine."

"I'm oka-argh!" Lightning's reassurance turned into a scream as he was doused with a shower of cold water from a large hose.

Once Lightning's body had been thoroughly cleaned, the engineer with the hose turned his attention to washing out Lightning's engine bay. He nodded to Leyland once he'd finished.

"Right, now let's just hope nothing's been damaged," Leyland muttered as he glanced at Lightning's engine. He turned to Dr Andrews. "You want to check him out here, or in the first aid room?"

"Here will be fine," Dr Andrews replied. "Seriously, though, I think you're over-reacting."

"Me too," Lightning added, trying to see around his raised bonnet.

"I am NOT over-reacting!" Leyland snapped. Everyone inside the garage froze. Sighing heavily with frustration, Leyland drove out of the garage. He'd decided to go and get a long, cool drink to cool off. _Maybe I should ask Dr Anderson to give me a massage,_ he thought. _The stress of this weekend is really getting to me. What I really need is to get some great results from all of my racers this weekend. Lightning should be okay if he doesn't get distracted. Craig's been fairly consistent too, but he does need to improve if he's to have a shot at the championship this year. As for Jamie, he's really going to have to put on his skids. He's the one I'm most concerned about._

By the time Leyland returned to the garage, he found Lightning and Craig talking quietly in front of one of the computers, while Jamie was talking to Davo. He drove over to Dr Andrews, who was filling out some paperwork.

"What's the damage?" Leyland asked him quietly.

"Lightning's clear to race," Dr Andrews replied simply. "Honestly, Leyland, you worry too much. Don't you remember that Lightning was trained by the best dirt racer in America? So what if he decides to have a bit of fun off-road? In fact we probably all should give it a go on our next team bonding day."

Leyland's jaw dropped. "You're not serious?"

"Sure I am. I'm sure Craig and Jamie would be just as keen to give it a go. On a proper dirt track, of course."

"Oh, right. I'll think about it."

Meanwhile, Lightning and Craig were busy discussing the Winton circuit.

"Winton is very different to all the other tracks we race on, in that it's by far the slowest," Craig was saying. "You've got twelve really sharp corners over three kilometres, and your average top speed will only be about a hundred and thirty."

Lightning scoffed. He was remembering that that was about as fast as he'd been going when he'd been booked that morning by the police car. Craig was about to continue, when Leyland drove over to them.

"Lightning, I've just had a call from CAMS. They want to see you and Jamie immediately."

Craig was surprised. "Not me as well?"

"Not unless you were also booked for speeding this morning," Leyland replied, glaring pointedly at his youngest racer. Lightning cringed sheepishly.

"Sorry, Leyland."

"Saying 'sorry' isn't going to help you now, I'm afraid. Come on."

A few minutes later, Lightning and Jamie reluctantly followed Leyland inside the CAMS office overlooking the racetrack. Lightning wasn't at all surprised to see all the computer monitors and radio equipment set up in the room. The chief CAMS official, a forklift, was waiting for them. He was holding a file in his arms.

"Thanks for coming, Leyland. I'm sorry to have to do it this way, but since the police caught so many racers speeding along that stretch of highway this morning, we've decided to talk to all of them individually." He turned to Lightning and Jamie. "Do either of you deny that you were speeding this morning?"

"No," Lightning quickly replied. He knew that honesty was better than letting things drag out after a lie. "Mind you, I didn't look at my speedometer, so I can't say what speed I thought I was doing, but I do know I was going well over the speed limit."

The chief official nodded. Then he waited for Jamie to reply.

"Yeah, okay," Jamie sighed. "I admit I was speeding. But I wasn't doing a hundred and forty like he said!"

The chief official held up the file. "I have all the evidence here, and the police were videoing everyone who went down that road this morning, so we can always analyse that if you wish to dispute it."

Jamie hesitated. Then he sighed heavily again as he stared down at the floor in front of him. "No, I won't dispute it."

"Good. I'm going to issue you both with an extra two-hundred dollar fine on top of your police fines for breaching CAMS rules for racing outside of a designated racetrack. As professional racers, it's up to you to set the standard for driving safely on our roads, and you both failed to do that today. Do you have anything you wish to say?"

Lightning and Jamie shook their fronts.

"Do you wish to dispute the extra fines?"

"No," Lightning replied on his and Jamie's behalf.

The chief official nodded. "Good. And for the record, that short-cut will be banned from now on. I'm sorry, but you'll have to go the same way as everyone else from now on. However, I have had a little word with the police, and they've agreed to escort any racer to the track tomorrow, so you won't get stuck in any traffic jams. Do you both understand?"

"Yes," Lightning and Jamie replied in unison.

"Good. You may go now, and good luck."

"Thanks," Leyland said as he ushered Lightning and Jamie out of the room.

On their way back to the pits, Leyland turned and he parked himself directly in front of Lightning and Jamie. "I'm very disappointed in both of you. Did you even stop to think what might have happened if you'd crashed?"

"We're sorry, Leyland," Jamie insisted. "I promise, it won't happen again."

"It had better not. For your sakes." And with that, Leyland turned and he continued heading back towards the pits. Thoroughly humbled, Lightning and Jamie reluctantly followed him.

 **Well, here it is! My second chapter for tonight. Enjoy and please don't forget to review! I really enjoy reading what everyone thinks of this story. I can't wait to write about the wedding, which is why I went ahead and wrote two chapters tonight.**


	29. Chapter 29 - Day 2 at Winton Supersprint

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 29 – Day 2 at the Winton Supersprint

 **Winton Supersprint, Day 2 - Winton Motor Raceway, Winton, 209 kms north-east of Melbourne, Victoria – Saturday, 16 May 2015**

"Come on!" Lightning muttered through gritted teeth. It was early the next morning, and he was following Craig and Jamie to the Winton Raceway under police escort. The rest of the team were already at the racetrack, having left the team's hotel a couple of hours earlier. Now, Lightning was wishing they'd done the same.

"Hey, can we get a move on, please?" Craig asked the police officer ahead of him. "We don't want to be late."

"Right, sorry," the police officer replied. Putting on his lights, he sounded his horn. "Racers coming through! Make room, please!" he shouted. Almost like magic, the road opened up for them, giving them a fairly clear road for them to drive on.

 _Now, if he'd just done that a bit sooner…_ Lightning though.

Finally, just before nine o'clock, the three racers arrived at the racetrack. They immediately headed to pit row, where they found a very agitated Leyland waiting for them.

"You're late," he admonished.

"Sorry, Leyland," Lightning apologised. "We wouldn't have been late if we were still allowed to use that short cut."

"Not now, Lightning," Leyland frowned. "Craig? Jamie? You need to get ready for your practice session. It's due to start in just twenty-five minutes."

"What about me, Leyland?" Lightning asked.

"You need to be ready for your qualifying round at exactly ten-thirty. I don't care what you do in the meantime."

Lightning promptly headed off in search of Dr Anderson.

…

At precisely ten-thirty, Lightning rolled out of the Redbulldozer Racing pit garage, revving his engine aggressively. He was ready to race. From the grandstands, a collective cheer rose up from Lightning's small, but growing legion of Australian fans.

"And there he is," Greg Murphy said over the loud speakers. "Champion Piston Cup racer, Lightning McQueen, will be aiming for another clean sweep in the Development Series this weekend, which will put him well and truly in the lead for the series championship."

"Yeah, he did all right in practice yesterday," Neil Crompton added. "However, I'm rather sceptical about his chances this weekend. His main rival in this series, Paul Drivewell, is keen to close the gap between them after Perth, so we'll just have to see how Lightning handles this track today."

"Yes, it's very different to anything he'll have ever driven on. I understand that Lightning's turning circle isn't quite as good as the average V8 Supercar's, plus he's never raced on a track that's as slow as this one before, so this should be interesting."

Down in pit row, Lightning continued revving his engine while he waited for his instructions.

"Radio check," Dutto said. "Lightning, do you copy?"

"Yes, Dutto. Loud and clear."

"Good. Pit lane exit is open. I want you to do a couple of warm up laps, and then I'll advise you on when to go at qualifying pace."

"Okay."

"Don't forget to get those tyres up to pressure, kid," Dutto reminded him as Lightning hit the racetrack. "You've only got two sets of new tyres to use this weekend, so try to make them last as long as possible."

"Sure, Dutto."

Several laps later, Dutto gave Lightning the go-ahead to attempt a qualifying lap. Several other racers had already overtaken Lightning, so unfortunately, he no longer had the fresh air and the space he liked to have. Flicking on his headlights, Lightning raced across the start/finish line, beginning his first qualifying lap.

Lightning was doing well until he approached turn five. The racer in front of him, a rookie, who wasn't even on a qualifying lap, failed to give him the racing line, forcing Lightning to slow down.

"Oh! Get out of my way!" Lightning fairly screamed, while at the same time wishing he had a horn so he could vent his frustrations in a more practical manner. Flustered, the rookie tried to move over, but as they entered turn five, Lightning found himself on the outside with no room left to pass. While he knew he could easily go out onto the grass, he didn't want to have to do that, because it would seriously damage his tyres. His only other option was to try and stay on the tarmac, but that could easily result in a collision. In that split second, Lightning made his decision.

The crowd gasped as soon as they saw the cloud of dust and smoke swirling up into the air. Seconds later, Lightning and the rookie emerged from the dust cloud, coughing badly. They were both missing rear-view mirrors, and had paint scratched off their sides. The plastic on Lightning's front left-hand headlight was also broken.

"Lightning? Are you okay?" Dutto asked anxiously over the radio.

"Yeah," Lightning gasped. "Just a bit winded, that's all." He coughed again.

"They're sending out the safety car. Just stay there until the paramedics arrive."

"I don't need a paramedic!" Lightning snapped. "I hope Leyland will launch a protest over this."

"Never mind about that now…"

Ignoring his radio, Lightning turned his attention to the paramedic who'd just arrived. "I'm okay," he insisted. "It's just surface damage. I can still drive."

Frowning, the paramedic did a quick survey with his eyes. "Yeah," he reluctantly agreed. "I'll let you go on one condition. You're to come to the first aid room straight after qualifying for a thorough check-up. Understood?"

"Completely," Lightning said, grinning. Revving his engine, he turned back onto the racetrack, where he fell into line behind the safety car.

A few minutes later, after the safety car had left the track, Lightning was able to complete his one and only qualifying lap. To his great surprise, the time he posted was the fastest, but he knew it might still be beaten as the other racers completed their own qualifying laps. Knowing he'd done the best he possibly could within the time frame, Lightning returned to the pits.

"Good job, Speedster," Dutto praised as Lightning drove slowly down pit lane. "So far, nobody's been able to beat your time. There's still three racers who need to finish their laps."

Sighing tiredly, Lightning drove into his team's pit garage. Now that the adrenalin was leaving his system, he could feel all the scratches and bruises he'd sustained in the collision. Dutto, Leyland and Dr Anderson began to assess the damage.

"We'd better get you over to First Aid for scans," Dr Andrews said, frowning. "We need to be sure it's just surface damage."

Before long, Lightning found himself inside the First Aid room, at the mercy of all the doctors and nurses. His damaged headlight casing was replaced, as was his rear-view mirror, and the worst of his dents and scratches were repaired. Finally, after being subjected to the usual round of tests and scans that followed a racing accident, he saw Dr Andrews driving over to him.

"How bad is it?" Lightning asked anxiously.

"You want the good news or the bad news first?"

"The bad news."

"You need to meet with the IPO immediately after you're released from here, to discuss the incident."

Lightning groaned in disbelief. The Investigating and Prosecuting Officer (IPO) only got involved when the officials couldn't decide who was at fault after an on-track incident. His decision was usually final. "So, what's the good news?"

"You've been cleared to race this afternoon. You're lucky you took that hit on your left side, and not your right. You could've easily broken your antiroll bar again. Oh, and you're also in pole position for this afternoon's race."

Lightning breathed an audible sigh of relief. Now, he just had to face the officials – again.

…

"Right, we've been reviewing the footage we have of the incident," the IPO said once Lightning and the rookie involved in the incident had parked themselves at the table inside the small meeting room. Several other CAMS officials were also in the room, to witness the meeting. "Would you care to tell us what happened out there?"

"I was doing a slow lap," the rookie, Alex, replied, jumping in first. "The next thing I knew, McQueen was right behind me, shouting at me to move over. I tried to, but I accidentally locked up my rear wheels. The next thing I knew, McQueen had clipped me, and I spun out."

The IPO raised an eyelid at Lightning, waiting to hear his side of the story.

"I was on a qualifying lap, and I had my headlights on for that reason. I don't know if he saw me coming up behind him or not, but I was really ticked-off when he wouldn't move off the racing line. In the end, I had to make a choice – go off-road and potentially damage my tyres, or I could try to stay on the tarmac and risk clipping him. I chose the second option, which unfortunately resulted in the incident."

The IPO nodded. "Okay, well we've reviewed the footage from many angles, including from your on-board cameras, and from what we could see, Alex had enough time to see Lightning coming up behind him, and he had plenty of room to move off the racing line before the incident took place. However, Lightning, your decision to try and stay on the racetrack did, essentially, cause the accident, although I don't think anyone can really blame you for making that decision at the time. Yes, I have taken that into account in making my decision today. I realise that you had to make a split-second decision, but at the end of the day, you're just lucky that your decision didn't cause a worse crash. And now for my verdict. Alex? I've decided to fine you five hundred dollars for bad sportsmanship, and for failing to give way during qualifying. Lightning? We've decided to fine you three hundred and fifty dollars for careless driving. Do either of you have anything to add?"

Lightning and Alex shook their fronts.

"Good. The matter is now closed. I will be officially reminding all of the racers that they must give way whenever they see a car coming up behind them with their headlights on. I know it's an unofficial rule, but it should be an official one. I'll be recommending that in my report. Thank you. You may both leave now."

Lightning sighed heavily as he left the meeting room. After the fine he'd received the day before, his fines now totalled $550. It was starting to become a very expensive weekend for him.

…

"So, what happened?" Dutto asked Lightning once he'd returned to the pits.

"I got fined for careless driving," Lightning snapped bitterly. "I tell you, Alex had better stay out of my way from now on, or else!"

At that moment, Lightning noticed Kori parked near the front of the garage, with her loyal camera car beside her. Realising that everything he'd just said had gone out live on TV, he drove straight over to the fridge to get a drink. Dutto sighed with frustration, and then shrugged casually into the camera.

"Never mess with an angry race car," he said simply.

Taking the hint, Kori and the camera car turned their attention onto Leyland. Glancing up, Lightning silently thanked Dutto. The team manager just smiled sympathetically.

Luckily for Lightning, his first race for the weekend wasn't until 3:40 in the afternoon, so he soon disappeared to go and grab some lunch. Afterwards, he had a pleasant twenty-minute nap inside the transporter. After Dr Andrews had woken him up, Lightning cruised around behind the pits, soaking up the atmosphere. A few fans asked him for his autograph, but other than that, he was left alone. But not for long.

"You look lonely," Sally commented, driving up behind him.

"Sometimes it's nice to be alone," Lightning replied.

Sally planted a gentle kiss on his fender. "I know. But would you like some company now?"

"To be honest, Sal, I'd rather just be on my own for now, so I can get my mind in focus for this afternoon's race. My little incident this morning didn't help at all. I don't mean to push you away from me, but everyone on the team is really stressed out right now, so it'll be better if I win today's race. I hope."

Sally smiled affectionately. "I understand. Good luck out there, okay. Don't do anything stupid like you did this morning."

"That wasn't my fault at all! He left me with no room."

"I know. Don't dwell on that now. I'll leave you to focus on the race. Just remember that I love you more than anything or anyone else in the world."

They kissed passionately for a moment before Sally reluctantly headed back towards the VIP section. Lightning sighed wistfully as he watched her leave.

 _I'm so lucky to have her in my life._

…

"It's funny how when something seems like a bad thing at the time, it actually turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to you," Lightning commented to Dutto a little later in the pit garage. He was referring to his unplanned arrival in Radiator Springs. _Has it really been almost nine years since that happened? It doesn't seem like it's been that long._

"Yeah, well, I failed philosophy," Dutto replied, chuckling. He raised an eyelid. "You ready to race?"

"Yup! How did Craig and Jamie go in qualifying, and their first race for the weekend? I wasn't paying much attention, because I was trying to de-stress."

"I'll tell you in one word. Badly."

Lightning was surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah. Leyland's livid. He's even threatening to rip your engine out and give it to Craig. He had the worst results."

Lightning was shocked. "I don't get it. Craig, he-"

"He's been mentoring you, I know. And yet you're the one who's winning all the races. Don't worry, I can't understand it either. But we can't sit around here all day discussing it. Maybe if you get up on the podium today, Leyland might take the pressure off you a bit. He's still furious about your fines, you know."

Lightning flinched. "In other words, race cleanly."

"Exactly. You'd better get out there now. Oh, and just so you're aware, your former bosses will be watching the race from here in the pits. They asked Leyland especially."

 _Well, that's just great!_ Lightning thought as he drove towards the front of the team's garage. _Hopefully they'll be sensible enough to stay off the radio._

Not long afterwards, Lightning pulled onto the grid after undertaking the compulsory warm-up lap. Dutto talked him into his grid position over the radio.

"Ease up now. That's good. Just a little bit more… Perfect! Whatever you do, don't move from that spot until the lights go out, you hear?

"What do you think I am? Stupid?" Lightning quipped, glancing over at Dutto, who was standing behind the pit row wall, watching him with his headset on. "Don't answer that!"

Dutto laughed. "I wouldn't dare! Ah, the track's warmed up a lot more than it was when you qualified, so try to get a fast start today, Speedster."

"Copy that, Dutto. I'll do my best. Anything to get back into Leyland's good books."

Dutto chuckled. He knew that Lightning was only making jokes because he was feeling nervous. Glancing down the grid, he saw the green flag being waved behind the field of racers. "Green flag, Lightning, green flag. See you again at the finish."

Lightning revved his engine several times as he stared straight at the lights. The instant they went out, he floored it, throwing everything straight in to high gear. His engine screeching in protest, and Lightning felt a slight twinge of pain come from it, but knowing that it was just his Jaguar Syndrome kicking in, he ignored it. He was surprised though, because had hadn't felt that for a long time, thanks to his speed limiter. _I'll have to ask Dr Andrews about that later,_ he thought, making a mental note. _If I remember…_

"Look at Lightning McQueen and Andrew Jones!" Greg Murphy shouted over the loudspeakers.

"That was a blistering start!" Kori added excitedly. "That's probably the best standing start we've ever seen Lightning make!"

The voices faded away as Lightning made his way around the first two corners.

"Great start, Speedster!" Dutto praised. "Leyland's grinning."

"I am not!" Lightning heard Leyland deny in the background.

As he led the field into turn three, Lightning saw a racer spear off into the grass, cutting turn two. For a moment, Lightning was afraid he'd come back onto the track and hit someone, but luckily that didn't happen. Then…

"There's two cars off into the tyre wall at turn two," Dutto told him. "And more racers have just gone off into the grass. Stand by for a possible safety car."

"Copy."

 _Well, at least it's happened in the first lap_ , Lightning thought as he negotiated his way around turns seven, eight and nine.

"Yellow flag," Dutto announced. "Safety car is being deployed."

"Thanks Dutto."

Lightning immediately reduced his speed. Before long, he managed to catch up to the safety car.

"Don't forget to keep those tyres warm," Dutto reminded him. A few seconds later, he added, "I've just received word that the safety car will be leaving the track on this lap."

"Copy that."

Ahead of him, the safety car started to speed up as it made its way back to pit row. Lightning maintained the pace set by the safety car before it had sped up. As he led the field around turn ten, he saw officials begin waving green flags. That was the signal for him to start accelerating again. He did so, and was quickly back on racing pace as he crossed over the start/finish line again. Since Lightning was used to rolling restarts, he managed to get clean away from Andrew Jones, who was in second place, with a 0.6 second gap before they had even reached the third corner.

The remainder of the race was completely uneventful. Over the next fifteen laps, Lightning continued to increase his gap to end the race with a 2.813 second lead over Jones. Paul finished in third.

"Good job, Speedster," Dutto praised as Lightning went for his victory lap. "Very tidy. That's what we like to see."

"Thanks Dutto. I hope Leyland's happy with that."

"Well, he's smiling, so that's something anyway."

Chuckling, Lightning completed his victory lap before returning to the pits. He was received with cheers and tyre-clapping from the entire team.

"Great work, Speedster," Leyland smiled. "Let's hope you can back that up with two more wins tomorrow."

"I'll do my best," Lightning promised.

"Lightning rarely disappoints when the pressure's on," Dusty interjected. Lightning just flashed him a quick smile in response before he drove over to the fridge to get a much needed drink.

Leyland turned to Craig and Jamie. "Okay, you two. Let's get you ready for your next race."

…

Unfortunately, the second Championship race of the weekend was very mediocre for both Craig and Jamie. Lightning watched on from the pits as they finished in eighth and sixth respectively. Frosty ended up winning, much to Lightning's annoyance. He sighed heavily after the race as Dutto helped him remove his headset.

"I don't know what's wrong with them," Leyland said, voicing Lightning's own thoughts. "We might have to have Doctor Andrews give them both a thorough medical. Either something's wrong with them physically or mechanically, or Prodrive have just managed to find a magic switch somewhere."

"I can arrange for Craig and Jamie to undergo medicals after Lightning's wedding," Dutto said as he went through the computer system, saving all the data that had been collected. He glanced at Lightning, but he continued talking to Leyland. "Perhaps we should compare them with Speedster, just to see where we can improve."

Leyland nodded thoughtfully. "On a different note, please tell Shane VanGearsbergen that I want to see him again a.s.a.p."

"Why?" Lightning asked.

Leyland exhaled deeply. Instead of answering, he simply said, "I'm calling a press conference for eight o'clock tomorrow morning. I'll expect the whole team to be there. Understood?"

Lightning nodded. He glanced at Dutto for an explanation, but the forklift merely smirked knowingly.

"You'll find out tomorrow, along with the rest of the world. Now, let's pack up and get outta here!"

 **Thanks for your reviews! Really appreciate them. I'm sorry the wedding chapter has been a long time coming, but I do need to cover all of the races, because otherwise you'll miss out on important plot points that might be mentioned again at a later date. Anyway, I'm super excited about the Bathurst 1000 that's taking place this Sunday (Oct 11)! I don't know if it's possible for any of my American readers to watch it, but if you can, I highly recommend that you do. It'll probably be the most thrilling race you'll ever watch in your life! There's no other racetrack like it in the world, and it's an icon of Australian motorsport. To win at Bathurst is comparable to winning the overall championship, which is why it's so exciting to watch. (Plus, if you do watch it, you'll have an idea of what will be coming in future chapters, hint! hint!)**

 **Anyway, again, thank you for the reviews. Please keep them coming!**


	30. Chapter 30 - Day 3 at Winton Supersprint

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 30 – Day 3 at the Winton Supersprint

 **Winton Supersprint, Day 3 - Winton Motor Raceway, Winton, 209 kms north-east of Melbourne, Victoria – Sunday, 17 May 2015**

"What are you doing here?" Jamie asked Shane VanGearsbergen sharply. It was just before eight o'clock the next morning, and the entire Redbulldozer Racing team had gathered in the media room for the press conference. Which was why Shane's presence with the team was so strange.

"Can I tell them?" Shane asked Leyland.

"No, I'll do it," Leyland replied as he joined them. "You three had better be nice to Shane, because as of next year, he'll be your new teammate."

Jamie's jaw dropped. Craig and Lightning smiled.

"Nice to have you on board, Shane," Craig said sincerely.

"Thanks. I'm really looking forward to working with you guys."

"Well, having a four-car team should make things interesting," Craig agreed. He turned to Leyland. "Does this mean we'll get two pit garages next year?"

Leyland nodded. "That's part of the reason why I wanted four racers. And that's good news for Lightning too, because he'll be able to have his own pit crew, instead of sharing yours."

Lightning raised his eyelids in surprise. He hadn't been expecting that!

"It'll make things easier for everyone," Leyland added, winking at Lightning. "Right. Let's make our announcement to the media."

…

"How are you feeling this morning?" Dutto asked Lightning about an hour later. The press conference was over, and Lightning was back in the pit garage being prepped for his second race of the weekend.

"Ready to race!" Lightning replied enthusiastically. But then he remembered something. "By the way, did you notice anything odd in my data when I started the race yesterday?"

"Not at the time, but I can go through it again. Why?"

"Oh… Never mind."

Dutto frowned seriously. "Lightning, if you think something's wrong, you need to tell me."

"It's nothing really. Forget I mentioned it."

"Lightning McQueen!"

Lightning exhaled deeply. "Okay, okay! When I drove off the starting line, I felt a bit of pain in my engine. I didn't worry about it, because that always used to happen whenever I maxed myself without a speed limiter. It's apparently normal for cars who have Jaguar Syndrome. But I just found it odd, because unless my speed limiter isn't working, it shouldn't happen. And it hasn't happened, until yesterday."

Dutto continued frowning, but his expression was now one of concern. "You should have told me sooner. Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about that now. I'll go through the data with you and Doctor Andrews after the race. Let me know if it happens again."

"Okay," Lightning reluctantly promised.

"However, just in case it's something serious, I don't want you to start as fast as you did yesterday. By all means, start fast, but just don't push yourself as hard as you did yesterday."

"Right."

"I'll let Leyland know, so he's not shouting at you for a poor start, right when you need to concentrate."

"Thanks. I really appreciate that, Dutto. Sorry I tried to cover it up."

"Yeah, don't do that again."

Soon, Lightning and the rest of the Development Series racers were in position on the starting grid. Unlike the day before, Lightning wasn't joking around while they waited for the race to start. Dutto interpreted that as a sign that he was really worried about what might be wrong with his engine, so he decided to try and put him at ease.

"Lightning, if something was seriously wrong with your engine, you'd know it by now, and we would have scratched you from the race as a precaution. Just relax, please. I'm sure that whatever it is, it's a minor issue. Green flag, green flag. Good luck out there today, mate."

"Thanks, Dutto," Lightning answered so quietly that Dutto almost didn't hear him.

Lightning revved his engine a bit more delicately than he had the day before. It sounded like it normally did, so he revved it harder. He kept his eyes on the starting lights. As soon as they went out, Lightning floored it. On his right, he saw that Andrew Jones had had a much better start, and he took the lead as they raced side-by-side towards the first corner. Luckily for Lightning, being in pole position, he had the racing line, and was able to pass Jones cleanly at the first corner.

"Good work, Speedster," Dutto said over the radio. "We've had a couple of incidents behind you already, so stand-by for a yellow flag."

"Copy that."

"How's your engine feeling?"

"Good. No pain this time, but I didn't push it as hard as I did yesterday."

"Okay. Doctor Andrews is currently comparing your data with yesterday's, so hopefully we should know what it was before long."

Over the next couple of laps, there were a few more spinouts and incidents, but no yellow flags, so Lightning decided to start pushing himself again to try and open up the gap between himself and Jones.

"Lightning, we have some news about your engine," Dutto said as Lightning entered the final lap of the race. "Finish the race, and we'll talk when you get back to the pits."

Lightning didn't bother to respond. He was too busy making a minor brake bias adjustment. About a minute later, he crossed over the finish line 1.425 seconds ahead of Jones. Paul finished in third place.

"Good work, Speedster. Come back to the pits a.s.a.p. We need to check something before your next race."

"Sure, Dutto," Lightning replied. "It's not bad, is it?"

"Err… It might be. We're not sure yet."

Lightning was feeling sick with nerves by the time he returned to the team's garage after receiving his trophy on the podium. Dutto and Dr Andrews drove straight over to him.

"So, what's wrong?" Lightning asked.

"We think your collision during qualifying might have damaged your speed limiter," Dutto explained. He turned to one of the engineers. "Can you secure him for us, please?"

"Why?" Lightning protested. "I'm not going anywhere!"

"Yeah, and we want to make sure of that," Dutto told him firmly.

Lightning scowled as he was jacked up a few inches off the ground. He felt very self-conscious when he saw everyone gathering around to watch. Dutto unfastened Lightning's bonnet clips, and he lifted up his bonnet. Dr Andrews immediately took a look at Lightning's speed limiter.

"Yep! It's as I thought. Your collision yesterday shook your speed limiter loose, and one of the cables has become detached from the unit." He turned to look at Leyland. "I think you'd better report this to CAMS before they find out. You know how heavily they regulate these things."

Leyland nodded, but he looked rather put out. "I'll go do that now. Don't touch anything. They'll probably want to see it for themselves." And with that, he left.

"So, that's why my engine was hurting," Lightning mused. "The speed limiter wasn't actually working, and I was able to rev myself into the 'danger zone', as Doctor Spark calls it whenever I go over three hundred miles an hour."

"Yeah, I think you've explained it perfectly," Dr Andrews sighed.

"Will I be penalised for this?"

"To be honest, I don't really know," Dutto replied. "I don't believe this has ever happened before, so I don't know what they'll decide to do."

They soon found out. The officials decided that since the track was so slow, Lightning hadn't had any advantage racing with a disabled speed limiter. Plus, they also deemed that it should've been noticed when Lightning was undergoing the medical tests after the collision. And so, they issued the team with a formal warning before witnessing Dr Andrews reconnect the speed limiter.

"Thank you for reporting this as soon as you noticed it," one of the officials said to Leyland. "Just keep a close eye on those cables in future."

"We will," Leyland replied. He turned to Lightning. "You look exhausted. Go and grab a drink, and then have a rest in the transporter. Dutto will fetch you when it's time for you to prepare for your next race."

Realising that Leyland was giving him an order, and not a suggestion, Lightning obeyed.

…

When Lightning returned to the pit garage a couple of hours later after lunch, he found Leyland talking very severely to Jamie.

"…and I just don't get it!" Leyland was saying.

"I'm sorry, but I'm doing my best, Leyland," Jamie replied.

"Obviously that's not good enough. I'm sorry, Jamie, but if you don't start improving soon, I'm afraid we're just going to have to resort to our final option."

Jamie visibly paled. "No… Ley, y-you can't mean…" He lowered his voice. "An engine replacement?"

Leyland nodded once. "I'm sorry, Jamie, but unless you can figure out why your performances have been so bad this year, that's what we're going to have to do. I don't want to have to do it, since it'll put you out of action for about a month, but I'm fast running out of options." He exhaled deeply. "Look, I'll give you until the end of Darwin to find a solution. If you don't…"

"It's okay, Leyland. I get it."

"I'm sorry, Jamie. Truly, I am. But placing twenty-second in qualifying just isn't good enough. However, we can discuss this more later. I need to supervise Lightning's next race. Go have a rest, and get ready for your race."

Nodding despondently, Jamie drove away. Lightning looked sadly at Leyland. "Is it really that bad?" he asked softly.

Leyland nodded. "Yeah. He's getting worse instead of improving, and nobody can figure out why. Craig placed eighth in qualifying, which is okay. At least he's in the top ten." Pulling himself together, he smiled at Lightning. "You're the bright spark in my racing life right now, kid. I'll be delighted if you can make this weekend a clean sweep."

"I always do my very best. We all do."

"I know," Leyland sighed. "But when I'm spending at least six million dollars a year on each of you, I need to be repaid in good results, know what I mean?"

Lightning nodded. For a moment, Lightning wondered if Leyland might open up to him a bit more, but the moment passed, and he remained silent, until…

"What are you waiting for? You've got another race in ten minutes!"

Gulping, Lightning dashed over to the garage's preparation area to have his racing tyres bolted on.

…

Once again, Lightning had a decent start off the grid. It was almost a carbon-copy of race two. He and Jones raced side-by-side until the first turn, where Lightning easily took possession of the racing lane. By the time they'd negotiated turn two, Lightning had taken the lead. From there, he didn't look back. With every lap, he increased his lead until, by the end of the race, he had blitzed Jones with an incredible 9.955 second lead. And again, as in the second race, Paul finished in third.

"Good racing, Speedster," Dutto said over the radio as Lightning made his way back to the pits. "How did that feel?"

"Good, but to be honest, I'm starting to get bored out there."

"Well, that's just great!" Leyland exclaimed, slamming his wheel rim against a table. "I've got one racer who can't seem to get his hundredth win, another one who can't seem to win at all, and now my third racer is getting bored with winning! Has the world gone crazy?"

Seeing that everyone in the garage was staring at him, Leyland froze. He drew in a deep breath to try and control himself. He was also fortunate that no one from the media had been near the garage at the time. He chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry about that, guys. Let's focus on the next race."

Nodding, everyone returned to work. Leyland drove over to Lightning as he entered the pit garage.

"For the record, I'm no longer angry with you over those fines," he said. "Just don't let me down again."

"Uh…sure. I'll try not to."

"Good. You can go back to the hotel now. I'll see you back here in the morning for the team debrief. Then, we can all head on home. To be honest, I can't wait for your wedding, because it'll give all of us some down-time. I think we could all use that right now."

…

A few hours later, Lightning was awakened from his nap by a soft knock on his hotel room door. Groaning, he reluctantly got up. "Who is it?"

"It's me. J-Dub."

With his tyre, Lightning pressed a button that unlocked the door. "You can come in now."

Jamie did so. "Thanks. Sorry, did I disturb you?"

"No. You only woke me from the best sleep I've have for weeks. S'up? How did the race go?"

"Oh, don't ask!" Jamie groaned. He parked himself within the arms of the sofa. "I ended up finishing in tenth. Craig got third. Leyland's happy that at least one of us got onto the podium."

"Well, that's the best result the team's had all weekend."

Jamie scoffed. "Yeah, right, Mr Winner! You know, I'd give anything to be in your position right now."

"And I'd give anything to be in your position right now," Lightning muttered.

"What?" Jamie exclaimed in disbelief. "Finishing off the podium with every race and being threatened with a full engine replacement? You're welcome to have my position!"

Lightning parked himself in the 'armchair' opposite Jamie. "Okay, well, I can do without the engine replacement. But I'm just getting so tired of winning everything without being challenged. I think Leyland's forgotten that that was the reason why I left the Piston Cup. I came here for a challenge, and while I've had a little bit of an interesting ride, it's still too easy for me."

"Well, perhaps you should have your speed limiter adjusted so that you're top speed is only a hundred and fifty?"

Lightning exhaled deeply. "I reckon I'd still keep winning, even if I did that!"

Jamie moved forwards a little. "Lightning, can you arrange a meeting for me with Doctor Spark, please? For tomorrow morning, after the team debrief."

"Ahh… Sure, I can try. But why on earth would you want to talk to him?"

"He treated you for you Jaguar Syndrome, didn't he?"

Lightning shrugged. "Yeah, so?"

"After seeing what happened with your speed limiter today, I'm starting to wonder if my Jaguar Syndrome might be the reason why I'm no longer winning. I just seem to be slowing down instead of speeding up."

"But, Jaguar Syndrome makes you go much faster than what you were built for. And in children, it makes you lose complete control of yourself."

"I know, I went through all that as well, remember? Look, just arrange the meeting, please. I'll book one of the meeting rooms so we won't be disturbed. And I want you to be there with me for moral support, okay?"

"Yeah. Sure."

"Great. Thanks, I'll let you go back to sleep now. Have you had anything to eat after the race?"

"No. I just came back here and crashed. Not literally! Well, you know what I mean…"

"Yeah. But you'd better eat something, otherwise Dutto will force it down your throat, whether you like it or not."

"Thanks for the warning, but right now I'm too exhausted to care."

"Please yourself. 'Night."

"'Night, Jamie."

 **I don't quite know how to say this, but after seeing what happened during the qualifying at Bathurst today, I'd just like to wish Chaz Mostert and the five track marshals a speeding recovery from the injuries they sustained in that horrific crash. I knew that when I decided to write this story, I was taking a huge risk not knowing how it would turn out. Seeing that crash unfold live on TV has not only shaken myself, but the whole Australian motorsport industry. I know the drivers will go out there again tomorrow, and on Sunday, to get on with the job, and they will be highly respected for that, but that accident has reminded everyone of just how dangerous car racing is. When everything is going great, everyone is a friendly rival, but when something like this happens, everyone becomes united. After all, the last thing we want is to see a driver get injured, or worse. We all love racing, but when something like this happens on live TV... I'm sorry, but I can't think of what else to say right now. As I write this, Chaz is currently undergoing surgery for two severely broken bones and possibly other injuries. Again, I'd like to wish him a speedy recovery and I know everyone else will too once you see the footage of the accident. Let's just hope that, come Sunday, everything will be looking much better and we'll have a fantastic day of racing.**

 **I can assure everyone that I will be continuing with this story no matter what happens in reality. However, some real scenarios will have to be altered to maintain the realism of this story. Please keep the reviews coming. I enjoy reading them.**


	31. Chapter 31 - Winton Debrief

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 31 – Winton Debrief

 **Winton Motor Raceway, Winton, 209 kms north-east of Melbourne, Victoria – Monday, 18 May 2015**

At around seven o'clock the next morning, Dutto entered Lightning's hotel room, carrying his breakfast. Only he and Leyland knew the code that unlocked the door to Lightning's room. Dutto had been a bit concerned about Lightning after Jamie had told him that Lightning hadn't eaten anything after his last race the day before. Not wanting to disturb Lightning's rest, Dutto had decided to leave him in peace until the morning. He'd carefully prepared a special high-protein breakfast for Lightning, hoping that the stubborn racer would be hungry enough to eat all of it. After all, it was vital for Lightning's post-race weekend recovery.

"Lightning?" Dutto called. Receiving no answer, he drove into the bedroom. He chuckled softly when he saw that Lightning was still fast asleep. Noticing that Lightning wasn't snoring, he realised that Lightning was in a much deeper sleep than usual. Clearly, the stress of the last few days had completely worn him out. Dutto watched Lightning closely for a moment, taking note of his slow, even breathing. That was a good sign that he was recovering well. However, the scratches he'd sustained in his collision a few days earlier were still visible.

 _We'll have to fix those up properly later_ , Dutto thought. While he wanted to let Lightning sleep for longer, he knew they'd be late to the team's debrief if he didn't wake him up soon.

"Lightning?" he said, fairly loudly. There was still no reaction, so Dutto brought Lightning's breakfast into the room. Smelling the breakfast, Lightning's lips twitched, and his empty tank gurgled hungrily. Dutto smirked. There was no way Lightning would be able to get away with saying he wasn't hungry now.

"Come on, sleepyhead. Wake up."

A soft groan escaped Lightning's lips. Dutto positioned the breakfast tray directly in front of Lightning. With another groan, Lightning started to wake up. He finally blinked open his eyes, and stared straight at Dutto.

"Morning, Speedster," Dutto smiled. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Tired," Lightning muttered. He flinched sharply. "Ow! And sore. Why didn't I feel that yesterday?"

"Because you were full of adrenalin then, that's why," Dutto replied. "Don't worry. I can get you some painkillers, and we'll fix up those scratches later. Right now, you need to have your breakfast, and then we'll head out to the racetrack for the team's debrief."

Seeing his breakfast, Lightning realised just how hungry he was, and he immediately began devouring it. Smiling, Dutto left him to it.

…

"Are we all here now?" Leyland asked. He scanned the pit garage, mentally checking off those who were present. He frowned when he realised someone was missing. "Where's Lightning?"

"He overslept," Dutto reported. "Poor kid was completely worn out last night, apparently. I'm sure he'll be here any minute."

Sure enough, at that moment, everyone heard the familiar roar of Lightning's engine approaching. Seconds later, Lightning skidded to a stop at the garage's rear entrance, narrowly avoiding a large stack of tyres.

"Sorry I'm late, Leyland!" he panted. "I had to make an important phone call."

Leyland waved a tyre at him, indicating that he didn't want to know. Lightning sheepishly parked between Craig and Jamie.

"Okay, first of all, I'd like to thank everyone for their hard work this weekend. I know how stressed we all were, and sadly it showed in our whole performance. The only highlights really were Lightning's trifecta in the Development Series, and Craig's third place podium finish yesterday. The rest of the weekend was, I'm afraid, a shambles. We'll have to go through every detail at another time, I'm afraid, since we're extremely pressed for time this morning, and I have many other things I want to talk about…"

Lightning leaned a bit closer to Jamie, and he whispered, "I've arranged for us to meet with Doctor Spark at eleven o'clock."

"Thank you," Jamie whispered gratefully.

"Jamie? Lightning? Would you care to share your conversation with the rest of us?" Leyland asked.

"No!" they replied in unison.

"Then please be quiet and pay attention."

Lightning groaned inwardly. It was going to be a long morning.

…

"I thought that meeting would never end!" Lightning exclaimed as he and Jamie drove to the meeting room, where they'd arranged to meet Dr Spark.

"Same. Leyland does like to be thorough, doesn't he?"

"I'm sorry he's putting the pressure on you and Craig."

Jamie shrugged his fenders. "He's a perfectionist. Unless everything goes exactly the way he planned it to go on the day, he'll complain. We've just learned to live with it."

They paused in front of the meeting room that Jamie had booked. He took a deep breath. "I'm kinda nervous about this," he confessed.

"Don't be. Doctor Spark has looked after me for most of my life. He'll do everything he can for you."

They entered the meeting room. Dr Spark was waiting for them.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Lightning apologised. "Leyland can talk until the tractors come home!"

"It's okay, Lightning. So, why did you want to meet with me today?"

"Jamie here asked me to arrange the meeting. He wants to ask you something."

"I see. Come closer, Jamie. I don't bite."

"No, he'll only stick needles in you where it hurts," Lightning muttered cheekily.

Dr Spark glared at him. "Yes, and I'm still entitled to do that to you, so just watch it!" He turned his attention back to Jamie. "Now, Jamie, what did you want to ask me?"

"Before I do, you should know that, like Lightning, I was built with Jaguar Syndrome," Jamie began.

Dr Spark nodded. "As I've told Lightning, it is very common in race cars."

"Yes, but I've never told anyone outside my family about it. Except for Lightning, of course. I confided in him last year after I found out that he also has it. He told me that you were a leading expert in it."

"Yes, that is correct. Although I'm a paediatrician, I do continue to monitor all of my Jaguar Syndrome patients into adulthood, simply because it is such a rare condition. Even from a distance, I still keep tabs on Lightning, which is why he thinks he can tease me and still get away with it," he added, glaring pointedly at Lightning. The red racer just grinned sheepishly.

"Even Leyland doesn't know that I have Jaguar Syndrome," Jamie continued. "Only Doctor Andrews, our team doctor knows, because he uncovered it during the medical I had when I first joined the team. I made him promise not to tell anyone, because… well, at the time I was first diagnosed, it wasn't understood very well; especially here in Australia. As a child, I went through countless tests and procedures, and I was put on so many 'experimental' medications. By the time your first study, recommending the instillation of speed limiters in cars built with Jaguar Syndrome, was released in 1989, I was six years old and deemed too old to have one installed, so I never got one. By then, my doctors and parents had learned that the best way to deal with it was to make me take part in races, so I'd be too exhausted to have any 'attacks'. And it worked."

Dr Spark nodded again. "That was the most common treatment back then. I'm sorry you had to go through all that though. Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?"

"No. You see, last year, I won the V8 Supercars Championship Series with relative ease. However, this year, I've only managed to finish in first place three times, and that was at the start of the year. I just seem to be slowing down for some strange reason. Davo, my crew chief, can't understand why either. I've had so many parts altered or changed, but nothing seems to have helped, so the only thing left to explain it would be that something's happened with my Jaguar Syndrome."

Dr Spark studied Jamie thoughtfully for a moment. "That would be extremely unusual if that was the case," he finally said. He leaned forward on his axles a bit. "You see, what Jaguar Syndrome is, it's a fault in the car's whole mechanical system where the engine is simply too powerful for the car to handle. That's why I advocate the use of speed limiters in children, because they need time to let their body catch up with their engine. I have documented a couple of cases where something has caused the engine to suddenly become even more powerful. That happened to Lightning a few years ago. He had an allergic reaction to some medication I gave him, and that gave him the ability to race even faster than before. Of course, now that he has to have a speed limiter installed for racing, it isn't a problem, but I am still keeping a close eye on him for further possible complications."

"So, you don't believe that my dramatic reduction in speed is being caused by the Jaguar Syndrome?" Jamie asked.

Dr Spark shook his front. "I'm afraid not. That's why Jaguar Syndrome is called that. The Jaguar is a very fast car, and since the condition is all about speed…well…"

Jamie nodded sadly. A lone tear fell from his eye. "I'm sorry. You see, I was hoping it would be the reason, because Leyland has threatened me with an engine replacement after my poor performance this weekend. And I'm scared to go through with that because I don't know if I'll still have Jaguar Syndrome afterwards. I mean, what if after having my engine changed, I'm still slow? My racing career could be over altogether. Leyland only noticed me in the first place because I was consistently fast."

Seeing how upset his friend had become, Lightning gave him a friendly pat on the side with his tyre. "I'm sure Leyland will understand when you explain it all to him. I did tell you to tell him last year, when you confided in me."

Jamie shook his front. "It wouldn't have helped."

Dr Spark exhaled deeply. "Jamie. I can promise you that you'll still have Jaguar Syndrome even if your engine is replaced."

"I will?"

"Yes. You see, I investigated that option when I did my study, and I found that there was no difference at all between the cars with Jaguar Syndrome who had their engines replaced, and those who didn't."

Jamie looked a bit more hopeful. "Really?"

Dr Spark nodded. "The Jaguar Syndrome is in your whole mechanical system. It isn't isolated to your engine, so having it replaced does absolutely nothing to the condition itself. The only effective treatment that I know definitely works, is the installation of a speed limiter."

Jamie visibly relaxed. "Then, you think I should go ahead with the engine replacement?"

"Only if that's what your doctors recommend. But just remember that it is a very serious operation, so don't take it lightly, despite what I've told you today. Cars have died undergoing the procedure, so Leyland must be pretty desperate if that's what he wants for you."

"Uh, Doctor Spark?" Lightning interjected. "Just while we're on this subject, I think you should know that I had a bit of a problem with my speed limiter yesterday."

"Yes, I saw a bit about that on the telecast, but they weren't very clear about what happened."

"Basically, one of the cables connecting the speed limiter to my engine became dislodged during my collision on Saturday," Lightning explained. "I only noticed that something was wrong when my engine started hurting during the start of the first race later that day. The pain wasn't there for very long, but it was the same pain I get whenever I max myself out, so I forgot about it until yesterday morning, when I reported it to Dutto. He and doctor Andrews investigated, and they found out what the problem was during the second race."

"I see. Have you had any pain in your engine since?"

"No."

"Were you high-revving at the time?"

"Yes, since it was at the start of the race. I maxed out everything while I kept my brakes on. But that's how I managed to get that fast start."

"Then I wouldn't worry about it anymore. You've obviously found the problem and fixed it."

"Thanks. I just thought that you should know about it. I probably won't be doing that again for a while though."

"I wouldn't either. I know a lot cars do that, but it really isn't good for your engine at all. But thanks for telling me. The more I know about Jaguar Syndrome, the more I and other doctors can help other cars like you. Now, haven't we all go a plane to catch later this evening? We'd better go and get ready for our long drive back to Melbourne."

 **Bathurst tomorrow! Can't wait. Should be very exciting, considering all the drama they've had there already this weekend. Can't wait to write about it all in future chapters! The wedding chapter is coming very soon too, so please keep reading, and please don't forget to review. They really help encourage me to come up with new twists and ideas to keep you entertained, so thank you very much for them!**


	32. Chapter 32 - Party Town

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 32 – Party Town

 **Jamie's Apartment, Gold Coast – Friday, 22 May, 2015**

Lightning took a deep breath of the crisp, salty air as he drove out onto the balcony of Jamie's beach-front apartment. He'd been staying there since Monday night, when almost everyone on the team had arrived back in Brisbane after the Winton Supersprint. That had also been the last time he'd seen Sally. With the growing media hype surrounding their wedding, they'd reluctantly decided to not see each other until the wedding ceremony. And so, Lightning was staying with Jamie on the Gold Coast, while Sally stayed with Craig on the Sunshine Coast. Their friends and family were scattered between the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and with even more wedding guests arriving over the past few days, Lightning hoped they'd be able to confuse all of the media teams.

In the room behind him, Lightning heard a news reporter speaking on the TV. "It's shaping up to be the biggest wedding of the year, but champion Piston Cup racer, Lightning McQueen, and his fiancée, Sally Carrera, are keeping the details of their wedding completely under wraps. They appear to be going to extreme lengths to keep the media away. Even most of the wedding guests won't know where the wedding venue is until the night before, which is pretty astounding, isn't it, Dave?"

"It sure is," another reporter added. "Oddly, we've had reports the Lightning McQueen has been seen on the Gold Coast yesterday, while some of his friends were also seen in Brisbane and on the Sunshine Coast. So, while we may not know exactly where the wedding will be held, we do know that it will be somewhere in South-East Queensland."

Lightning smirked. Obviously, their plan was working. The media was confused and, he hoped, it would stay that way until Sunday.

"I'm back, Speedster!" Jamie announced as he entered the apartment. Lightning returned inside in time to see Jamie push a slab of beer inside the fridge.

"Is that for the party tonight?"

"No," Jamie replied as he closed the fridge. "I have more beer for tonight. I just hate getting home from a race weekend, only to discover that the fridge is depleted of my favourite drink. Speaking of parties, are you excited about it?"

"Kind of. I just hope you and Mater know what you're doing."

"Of course we do! At least, I know what I'm doing. This isn't the first bucks night I've arranged. Mind you, the last one I arranged ended wildly, with some of the fellows waking up on the beach the next morning, buried up to their bonnets in sand. And they still have no idea how they got there!"

Lightning groaned. "I seriously hope that nothing like that happens to me. Or to my friends for that matter. The media have their camera lenses everywhere!"

"Don't worry. We're going to a place where the media won't be able to see what goes on."

…

A few hours later, as the sun was beginning to set, Mater arrived at Jamie's apartment. "Is 'e ready?" he asked Jamie in a low whisper.

"Yeah. He has no idea where we're taking him! Is Red outside?"

Mater nodded. After they'd quietly hit a high-five with their tyres, Jamie returned to the family room, where Lightning was chilling out in front of the TV. Sneaking up behind his teammate, Jamie quickly covered his eyes with a thick, black cloth.

"Hey!" Lightning protested, and he tried to get away.

"Settle down, Speedster," Jamie soothed. "It's just me. You can't see where we're taking you until we get there."

"Oh," Lightning said, relaxing.

Jamie finished securing the blindfold, and he turned off the TV. "Okay, Mater! He's ready for you now."

A few seconds later, Lightning felt Mater hook him around his rear axle, making him gasp in surprise.

"Let's get outta here!" Jamie said enthusiastically.

Lightning pouted as Mater towed him away. Once they were out outside, Mater gently pushed Lightning inside the Redbulldozer transporter. Then he and Jamie climbed aboard also.

"Okay, Red! Let's go!" Jamie said over the intercom.

With a honk of his horn, Red began driving. As they went along, Lightning tried to guess which direction they was going in, but after a while he managed to lose all sense of direction, and so he gave up.

"How are you feeling there, Speedster?"

"Dizzy. How much longer until we get there?"

"We've been here for about ten minutes now," Jamie chuckled. "I just had Red drive you around for a bit to confuse you completely." He pressed the button for the intercom. "Red? You can stop now." Once Red had stopped, Jamie lowered the transporter's ramp.

"Okay, Mater. Let's get him out now."

Grinning, Mater towed Lightning out of the transporter.

"That's good, Mater. You can set him down now. Gently!" Jamie practically shouted as Mater dropped Lightning heavily onto the ground.

"Ow!" Lightning whimpered.

'Sorry 'bout dat, bud," Mater apologised as Jamie removed Lightning's blindfold.

"Surprise!"

Lightning blinked in astonishment. Directly in front of him were all of his male friends, but it was the building they were standing in that astonished him more. It was an indoor motocross stadium!

"Whoa!" Lightning breathed, staring at the amazing dirt racetrack. There were about thirty jumps in total, all varying in height. "This place is amazing!"

"Glad you like it," Leyland grinned, driving forwards out of the group.

Lightning smiled at his friends. The group consisted of Craig, Leyland, Dutto, Davo, Grant, Dr Andrews, Dr Anderson, the rest of the Redbulldozer Racing pit crew, Dr Spark, Harv, Rusty, Dusty, Mack, Sherriff, Sarge, Fillmore, Red (the firetruck), Ramone, Luigi, Guido and Michael, Sally's father.

"Is everyone ready to play a game?" Jamie enthusiastically asked the group.

"Yes!" everyone shouted eagerly in reply.

"Okay, here are the rules. You'll all be divided into groups of four; except for myself, Mack, Red and er…Red. The other Red, I mean. No! Uh, both Reds… Sheesh! They'll be in charge of the game. Since there will be twenty-eight of us in the game, there'll be seven heats. In each heat, you'll do just one lap of the whole track. I've arranged a few extra obstacles for you to avoid, so you'll all have to worry about more than just the jumps. The winner of each heat will be cleared to proceed to the next round, but the three losers in each heat MUST skol two bottles of beer after the heat. After the heats, those who came in second will battle it out in two heats for the semi-finals. One will have three in it, while the other will have four. Again, the losers will skol two bottles of beer, and so on until we have an overall winner. Does everyone understand that?"

Seeing everyone nodding, Jamie beamed.

"Just a moment!" Dutto called out. "It's not fair going up against two champion racers."

"Somehow, I knew you'd bring that up, mate. Lightning and Craig will be handicapped with weights. Since Lightning is the best all-rounder, and the groom-to-be, he'll be handicapped with an extra five-hundred kilos, while Craig will get two-hundred kilos. Happy?"

"Yeah, that sounds fair," Dutto nodded in agreement.

"Right, I have everyone's names in a hat here. Dutto? Would you like to have the honour of selecting our teams for the heats?"

Minutes later, everyone was ready to start the first heat. It consisted of Lightning, Sherriff, Leyland and Dr Spark. They made their way to the starting line at the top of a steep, dirt slope.

"Somehow I knew I'd get pitted against Lightning," Leyland grumbled. "Even with his handicap, he's still gonna thrash us!"

Lightning chuckled quietly. He was more than ready for this. He revved his engine as loudly as he could. Owing to the inside acoustics, it sounded even louder and much more powerful than usual.

"Ready?" Jamie called.

"Ready!" the four of them shouted back in reply.

Jamie pressed a button, which dropped the starting barrier. Naturally, Lightning had the best start, and by the time he'd reached the bottom of the hill, he was already two car lengths ahead of Sherriff. His weight handicap had really helped. But when he started to climb up the next hill, he felt it starting to drag him down.

"You could've disabled my speed limiter!" he shouted to Jamie as he struggled to remain in the lead.

After he'd sailed over a few more jumps, Lightning suddenly saw a pink stretch Hummer reversing across the track in front of him. He slammed on his brakes in a desperate effort to avoid her, but he was too late.

"Ooohhh!" everyone exclaimed when Lightning smacked straight into the side of the Hummer's rear bumper.

"Dat's gotta hurt!" Mater said sympathetically.

"Bumper kisser!" Davo hollered, and everyone laughed.

"Did you get that on video?" Rusty asked Mack.

"Sure did, boss! That'll be one for the record books."

Back out on the track, Lightning groaned painfully as he reversed away from the Hummer. She wiggled her rear end at him.

"Hey honey! You're a great kisser!"

"Oh!" Lightning growled crossly as he accelerated into the pipeline to go around the Hummer.

…

Meanwhile, on the Sunshine Coast, Sally was enjoying her own Hens night, along with her mother, Elinor, Flo, Lizzie, Susan, May and a few of her old work colleagues. She'd never been one to have many friends, and so her Hens night was a very quiet affair compared with what the boys were doing. In fact, they'd just settled down to having dinner in a very sophisticated French restaurant, when Sally received a video message on her phone. Excusing herself from the group for a moment, she went over to a quiet corner to watch it. She was shocked when she saw footage of Lightning smacking straight into the rear end of a very attractive pink Hummer. From the angle the video had been taken, it looked like he'd raced straight into the Hummer deliberately.

"Don't be too upset, my dear," Rachel quietly told her daughter. She'd seen enough of the video over Sally's fender to understand what it was all about. "This is what they do on a stag night, or whatever it is they call it here in this country. They'll send pictures and videos to the bride-to-be to make her believe that her fiancé is behaving badly towards her, when in fact it's all a set-up. I doubt Lightning would've even known that he was being filmed, let alone that it would be sent to you. If you like, I can look after your phone for the rest of the evening, so you won't have to see anything else that they send."

"Thanks mum," Sally agreed.

"Oh! That is disgusting!" Elinor suddenly exclaimed from the table. Obviously, she'd also been sent a copy of the video. "How dare he behave like that?"

With a heavy sigh, Rachel returned to the table to explain. Even after hearing her mother's explanation, Sally still felt that Lightning was behaving badly just to spite her. Why, she didn't know, but from the video, it certainly didn't look like he was trying to avoid what happened. In fact, he'd looked like he'd enjoyed it. That was what upset her the most. While she knew how much Lightning loved her, she had noticed over the years that he did have a roving eye. At first, she'd just ignored it, blaming it on Lightning's youth, but now, such behaviour was really inexcusable. She could only hope that he behaved himself for the rest of the night. Otherwise, she'd probably have to break their rule about seeing each other before their wedding day…

…

Back at the motocross stadium, Lightning had managed to cross the finish line in second place, having miraculously managed to overtake Leyland and Dr Spark. However, it had taken a huge effort on his part to catch up, and he couldn't help panting heavily from exhaustion. He hadn't been able to avoid any of the other surprises, except for the spick-strip, which he'd only just managed to jump over. He spat a feather out of his mouth; that had been a result of the mob of cheer girls that had ambushed him. Also, a streamer was tangled around his spoiler, which had been a gift from the pole-dancing forklift.

"Well, look who decided to show up at last!" Sherriff laughed. He was surprised that he'd managed to win the race.

Lightning just groaned in response. He knew that Sherriff would never let him live this down. Jamie and Mater drove over to him.

"You ready to skol your beer, Speedster?" Jamie asked teasingly.

"Oh, I suppose I'd better, or you might do something worse to me," he replied. "But you know I've never been much of a drinker, right?"

"So what?" Jamie grinned. "You're a drinker tonight!"

Guido placed a large bottle of beer in front of Lightning. Clamping his lips around the mouth of the bottle, Lightning picked it up and he began to drink.

"Skol! Skol! Skol! Skol!" everyone chanted, while Guido slowly tipped the bottle up in the air, forcing Lightning to keep drinking.

While Lightning was concerntrating on skolling the beer, Jamie subtly took a large bottle of top-quality whisky out of Mater's tray. Then, moving around to Lightning's side, he began to deposit the whole bottle straight into Lightning's fuel tank. His aim was to get Lightning drunk, so they could have even more fun with him later. Sending Sally the video of him kissing the Hummer had just been the tip of the iceberg.

Lightning was now onto his second bottle of beer. He didn't even notice what Jamie was doing to him. Jamie removed the now-empty whisky bottle from Lightning's fuel inlet, just as Lightning finished skolling.

"Oh, boy!" Lightning moaned groggily. "That's strong beer!"

"Why don't you have another one?" Jamie kindly suggested.

"Uh… Maybe later."

"Okay then. It's time for the second heat. Whose turn is it now?"

Lightning joined his friends to watch the rest of the heats take place. By the time the seventh heat had finished about an hour later, he found that his vision was starting to blur over to the point where he couldn't focus on anything. The noise of the roaring engines, and everyone cheering loudly was also extremely irritating.

"Okay, everyone!" Jamie shouted. "Settle down! It's time for the first of the heats between all the second-place getters."

With a reluctant groan, Lightning followed Sarge and Harv back up to the starting line. The world was swimming badly by now, and he found he couldn't drive straight. In fact, he ended up almost toppling over onto Sarge as they lined up for the race.

"Stand up straight, soldier!" Sarge snapped with annoyance.

"Slorry…" Lightning muttered.

"I think 'e's had enough ta drink," Mater whispered to Jamie.

"Yeah. Guess that whisky was probably just a bit too much," Jamie reluctantly agreed. He was worried now, because he didn't want to see Lightning get hurt trying to win the race while he was drunk.

"Go!" Mack shouted.

The starting barrier fell away, and Harv and Sarge took off. Lightning's start could better be described as a fall, because he just rolled down the steep slope. The momentum propelled him onto the top of the first jump, where he landed heavily on his chassis, and promptly passed out.

"Oh, Chrysler!" Jamie exclaimed, racing straight over to his friend. Dr Andrews, who was one of the few still sober, also hurried over.

"We'd better send for an ambulance," Dr Andrews decided after quickly examining Lightning. "That landing winded him badly, and with him so heavily intoxicated, he could have difficulty breathing, or worse, choke."

Jamie was immediately on the phone, calling for an ambulance. He felt terrible for his friend. What had started as a fun night out had suddenly back-fired badly on him.

…

 _Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Lightning groaned groggily, wishing that the annoying beeping sound would just go away and let him sleep in peace. After a moment, he realised that the noise was somewhat familiar. Pushing the fogginess aside, he somehow managed to blink open his eyes. He was in a white room, connected up to a monitoring machine, a respirator and a drip.

Realising that he was in a hospital, Lightning groaned loudly in disbelief.

"How are you feeling, Stickers?"

Lightning jumped. Sally was standing directly in front of him. He gulped before answering.

"Uh…terrible…" He muttered. He wasn't sure if Sally could hear him around the respirator, but her frown indicated that she had. His throat was remarkably dry. "Can I have something to drink, please?"

"Sure, but I'll have to ask the nurse first. Which would you prefer? Whisky, beer or water?"

Lightning blinked. While Sally sounded like she cared, he could sense that she was absolutely furious about something.

"Water, please. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Sally exclaimed. "I'll tell you what's wrong! Here I am, trying to have a wonderful evening out with the girls, and then I receive a video of you kissing a…" Sally struggled to figure out which word she should use, but she simply couldn't say any of them, so she continued, "…'girl' on her rear bumper! And then, to top that off, barely two hours later, I receive a message from Doctor Andrews saying that you've been admitted to hospital because you were heavily intoxicated! Lightning, you never drink! At least, you never drink enough to get absolutely plastered to the point where you pass out."

Lightning's eyes widened in shock. "Sal…I…I'm sorry…"

"Yeah, now you say that!" Sally spat. Drawing in a deep breath, she drove over to the window, where she tried to calm down. "Honestly, I'm glad you're okay," she continued quietly. "The doctors were able to flush most of it out of your system before you got any worse. What I'd like to know is how both circumstances happened."

"Sal, I only had two bottles of beer," Lightning whispered. "That's hardly enough to get drunk on."

"Plus the whisky."

"What whisky? I didn't have any whisky."

Sally whirled around so fast, she made Lightning feel dizzy again. "'What whisky?' I'll tell you what whisky! The whisky you drank! Or did it end up in your tank by magic?"

"Sally, I promise, I didn't drink any whisky last night! I-I don't even like it!"

"DON'T LIE TO ME, LIGHTNING!" Sally screamed.

Unable to take it anymore, Sally fled the room, slamming the door behind her. Lightning jumped again, making the monitoring machine beep even louder.

"Shut up!" he snapped crossly at it.

Outside in the hallway, Sally had buried herself against her mother's side in tears.

"He lied to me, mum," she said between her sobs.

"I'll go and have a word with him," Elinor decided. "I won't let him get away with treating you like this!" She entered Lightning's hospital room.

Rachel sighed sadly. It broke her heart to see her daughter so upset. "Whatever happened, I'm sure it's not Lightning's fault. Of course, the real question is, will we still have a wedding on Sunday?"

"Not if I have anything to do with it," Sally murmured bitterly.

 **Once again, thank you so much for the reviews everyone! Please keep them coming!**

 **Bathurst was absolutely incredible, as usual. Unfortunately, my nails are going to take weeks to grow back, haha! I heard that it was aired in the UK, but I'm not sure about the US. It'd be great to know if any of my readers did get to watch it, even if they only saw part of it. I really can't wait to write about it now! And yes, it is great news that poor Chaz is going to be okay, as well as the Aussie Racing Cars driver. Both accidents were shocking, but I'm sure everyone's grateful that nobody was seriously hurt.**


	33. Chapter 33 - Reconciliation

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 33 – Reconciliation

 **Gold Coast Hospital, Gold Coast – Saturday, 23 May, 2015**

"I tell you, Sally, Lightning isn't to blame for what happened last night!" Jamie snapped at the stubborn young Porsche in front of him. He'd just arrived at the hospital to visit Lightning, when Sally had come barrelling towards him in tears. He'd promptly blocked her to ask why she was crying, and she'd blurted out that the wedding was off. That's when Jamie had lost his temper. He believed that she knew the whole story by now, and was still blaming Lightning for getting so intoxicated that he'd passed out.

"Just get out of my way, Jamie, or else!"

"Or else, what? You'll push me out of the way? Good luck with that!" And he revved his engine so aggressively that Sally froze. She'd never seen Jamie lose his temper before, and whether she wanted to or not, she felt rather intimidated by it. Seeing the fear in her eyes, Jamie stopped revving, and he calmed down. "I'm sorry, Sally, but the last thing I wanted to do was to break you guys up. I'm a bachelor, so I don't understand women very well."

"What does that have to do with last night?"

Jamie exhaled deeply. "Tell me what you think happened last night."

"He kissed a…'tart' on her rear bumper, and he got so drunk he doesn't remember what he did!"

"Is that all? No wonder you're so fired up! Look, it wasn't like that at all…"

"I don't want to know." Sally attempted to move past him again, but since Jamie was bigger than her, he easily blocked her.

"Sally, will you just LISTEN to me, please?"

Sally sighed heavily. "You've got two minutes, and then I'm gonna phone for the hospital security to come and get you out of my way."

"Fine. You wanna know how Lightning got so drunk? It happened because I poured a whole bottle of whisky straight into his tank. He had no idea it was even in his system, because he didn't drink it. He was too busy skolling beer at the time."

Sally frowned coldly. "What about the girl?"

"I hired her for the night; amongst others. That's what happens at Bucks parties. We set up the groom-to-be with accidental encounters with good-looking women, and then we send photos and videos to the bride-to-be to test out the relationship. If the bride-to-be ignores it all, then that's a good sign that she trusts her man to not carry on with other women behind her back."

Sally's jaw dropped in astonishment. "Jamie, how could you? That's the most stupid thing I've ever heard! My mother only told me that sending that video was to make me jealous. At least, that's what I thought she meant when she said that it was all a set up. I didn't know… So, I've failed, haven't I? Guess this means that Lightning and I aren't suited for each other after all."

"Sally, you didn't fail. _I_ failed by going too far. I'm so sorry. If I knew that I was the cause of you never getting married to the man you love, I'd be devastated. I know you still love him, because you've spent all night with him, having travelled over three hours all the way down from Kilcoy, just to be by his side. And he loves you more than anything else in the world. If you asked him to give up racing, he'd do it. It'd probably break his engine, but he'd do it because he loves you. Don't you remember all the wonderful and unselfish things he's done for you? Remember how desperate you were to find an attractive vintage veil after you lost yours in the fire? He could've left you to find a new one on your own, but instead he went out of his way to arrange for you to wear his mother's veil."

Tears welled up in Sally's eyes. How _could_ she forget that? She immediately felt thoroughly ashamed of herself. Lightning had done nothing to dishonour her or their relationship, and yet she'd pushed him aside without even giving him a chance to explain.

"Lightning did try to stop before he collided with that Hummer," Jamie went on to explain. "Unfortunately, the angle of the video doesn't show it very well, if at all. But I've managed to obtain another video from a different angle, to prove it."

Sally held up a tyre. "Please, Jamie, I've heard enough. Just make sure that everyone deletes all of the photos and videos that were taken last night. The last thing Lightning and I need to have right now is for anything from last night to even be mentioned in the media."

"I understand," Jamie said, nodding sympathetically. "I'll make sure that happens before the day is through."

"Thank you, Jamie," Sally said sincerely. "And, just for the record, I accept your apology. However, it might take Lightning a while to do so." Turning around slowly, Sally drew in a deep breath. She knew she had to go back to Lightning and apologise. She only hoped he wouldn't be too angry with her.

…

Lightning moaned softly. His mother was giving him an earful about how he should behave towards women, but it was only aggravating his hangover and making him feel even worse, physically. Elinor had only paused when a nurse entered the room to remove Lightning's respirator, and to make a quick check of his vitals. Seeing that he was awake and alert, she'd promised to inform the doctor, so he could decide if Lightning was well enough to be released from hospital. After the nurse had gone, Elinor had resumed with her rant.

Lightning almost breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Sally appear in the doorway, but then he remembered what she'd said to him, and that made him tense up again.

"Elinor?" Sally called gently, making the older woman pause again. "Would you mind leaving the room for a moment, please? I'd like to talk to Lightning alone. Oh, and Jamie's outside. I think you should talk to him."

Elinor hesitated before she reluctantly did as Sally requested. Once Sally was alone with Lightning, she closed the door. While she was still facing the door, Sally said in a low voice, "I'm sorry I accused you of lying, Stickers."

Hearing Sally use her favourite nickname for him, Lightning visibly relaxed. "You know I would never lie to you, gorgeous."

Smiling a little, Sally turned around to face him."

"But I'd love to know what happened last night." Lightning continued. "I can't remember anything that happened shortly after the first race. What did happen?"

"Jamie got you drunk. You passed out and you were taken to hospital, which is where you are now. That's all you need to know."

Lightning exhaled tiredly. "I didn't mean to kiss that girl, you know."

Sally gently nuzzled up to him. "I know that now. I'm just sorry I didn't believe you. That's a mistake I'll never make again, so long as we're together."

"So… Does that mean we're still getting married tomorrow?"

Sally nodded eagerly. Then, she planted her lips firmly over his, tasting them with the tip of her tongue. She smiled a little when she felt him kissing her back.

"Mmm… That was good!" Lightning said as they broke apart a few minutes later. "I hope you kiss like that tomorrow, when we're in front of everyone."

"I will if you will," Sally smiled, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously.

Someone knocked on the door, and Elinor peeked in. "May I come back in?"

"Sure," Sally smiled. "Did you talk to Jamie?"

"I did," Elinor said evenly. She shook her front. "He has a lot to answer for. Anyway, I'm sorry I didn't trust your judgement, Lightning. Sometimes, as a mother, I forget that you're an adult, and that you're capable of making your own decisions."

"It's okay, mum. I still deserved a dressing down."

Sally moved towards the door. "I'll be back in a minute, Stickers. I need to go and tell mum that the wedding is back on, before she goes and cancels everything!"

 **NEWSFLASH! - The wedding will take place in the next chapter! I promise! However, as with all weddings, I want it to be perfect, so I'm giving you fair warning that it may take me a few days to write. I also have another French exam on Tuesday, so please let me write the chapter in my own, limited, spare time.**

 **To the guest: I hope you're happy with the chapter, especially since it was already half-written by the time you posted your reviews. There always has to be a bit of a 'lover's tiff' before a big wedding, doesn't there? Hehe! Anyway, I really enjoy reading your comments, so please keep them coming! There can never be too many reviews.**

 **Also, more good news on poor Chaz Mostert. For those who don't know what happened, he was badly injured in a horrific crash at the Bathurst 100 last week. He had to undergo more surgery yesterday afternoon after scans revealed he'd also damaged his knee. The surgery was successful, and he hopes to be released from hospital early next week, so he can be at the Gold Coast 600 to watch his teammates. He's still amazed by all the support he's had, even from people like me who don't support his team. Guess the Holden vs Ford rivalry will continue for many more years to come, lol!**


	34. Chapter 34 - The Wedding

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 34 – The Wedding

 **Rosellas at Springbrook, Gold Coast Hinterland – Sunday, 24 May, 2015**

Lightning paced around anxiously at the front of the outdoor chapel, in front of the white rose and Jasmine floral archway, where he and Sally would, finally, be married very soon. Ramone had, as always, done a brilliant job with his wedding-day paintwork. His bright red, glitter paint sparkled in the brilliant Queensland sunshine, making him look the way he'd looked when he'd been a child.

"Lightning?" Elinor said gently. "I know you're nervous, but will you please stop pacing? You're making me dizzy!"

"Sorry, mum," Lightning apologised as he stopped in front of her. "And thank you for talking quietly. I've still got a splitting headache from my handover!"

"Just imagine how you'd be feeling if the doctor hadn't managed to flush out your system as quickly as he did."

Lightning groaned audibly. "Gee, thanks for the graphic image, mum!"

Elinor chuckled. Gracie and Rachel joined them then. Gracie, Mr Hood, Holley and the rest of Sally and Lightning's guests had flown in the day before. Lightning had been released from the hospital in the early afternoon, but owing to the lingering effects of the alcohol, he'd gone straight to bed in Jamie's apartment. He'd awakened well before dawn that morning to find that, while he'd been asleep, Ramone had painted him up in his chosen wedding paintwork, and removed his spoiler. That had enabled Lightning to drive up to the wedding venue, Rosellas at Springbrook, completely undetected by the lurking media. That was because, rather than standing out as a race car, he now looked just like many of the other flashy sports cars who lived on the Gold Coast. Sally had spent the night at the wedding venue itself, while the rest of the guests had taken so many different routes, Lightning hoped the reporters and paparazzi were still driving around in circles!

"Hello, Lightning," Gracie said, smiling. She stared at him for a moment, taking in just how much he'd changed over the years. "Well, I would never have imagined when your parents brought you home from the factory, that I would be here twenty-six years later to witness your wedding. Sally's perfect for you."

Lightning blushed profusely, but luckily, his glistening red paintwork didn't show it. Seeing Craig and Jamie arrive, Lightning quickly excused himself.

"Jamie," he said firmly, but not too loudly, because he didn't want to attract attention. "I believe I owe you a little something for messing up my buck's night."

Before Jamie could say anything, Lightning slapped him across his mouth with his tyre. Shocked, Jamie could only gape. Craig just stared at his teammates with wide eyes.

"You can consider yourself lucky that I went so lightly on you!" Lightning added, before returning to the front of the outdoor chapel.

Craig was the first to find his voice again. "Well, he seems to have recovered. And before you say anything, yes, you thoroughly deserved that! Come on. We have groomsmen duties to perform. Where's Mater? He'd better not lose those hubcaps…"

From his position at the front of the outdoor chapel, Lightning watched as the wedding guests began to take their assigned positions. He smiled when he saw Rachel take her place on the bride's side of the chapel, leaving a place free alongside her for Michael, but his countenance changed when he saw his mother parked beside his aunts. A knot formed in his tank when he remembered that his father should've been here to witness this day. It was something he'd never even thought about, and that immediately made him feel guilty. He glanced at Aunt Susan, and their eyes met briefly for a moment. Seeing the sadness in Lightning's expression, Aunt Susan quickly drove over to him.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"I was just thinking about dad," Lightning whispered.

"Aww, I know. He'd be so proud of you though, even though you didn't follow the career path he wanted you to have. I know he never told you, but he loved seeing how excited you got whenever you watched the Piston Cup. While I don't think he'd be happy with you racing, he would've supported you regardless."

"Thanks. I was also thinking about Doc."

Mater, Craig and Jamie took their positions near Lightning. They overheard Lightning's last sentence.

"I knows Doc woulda wanted you and Miss Sally to be happy," Mater said sincerely.

"Mater's right," Craig added. "You mustn't dwell on him now. He's here with you anyway, and he wouldn't want you to be unhappy. Smile. This day is all about you and Sally."

The marriage celebrant, a Toyota Camry named Mr Tone, who was a Justice of the Peace, drove over to Lightning. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, I think so," Lightning replied, his lips trembling.

Mr Tone chuckled. "And they always say that the bride is the most nervous one on the wedding day…"

"The bride's coming!" someone shouted excitedly.

"I'm going to start the filming the live streaming, for you friends in America now," the camera car told Lightning.

Lightning nodded. Everyone promptly settled down as the string quartet (a group of forklifts) began to play the wedding march. Lightning turned away from the aisle. He wanted to be the last one to see what Sally looked like. While Mr Tone positioned himself beneath the floral arch, the first bridesmaid, one of Sally's friends, drove slowly down the garden path towards the outdoor chapel.

Lightning felt another knot form in his tank. He had never felt this nervous before in his life! Even the nerves he had before every race weren't nearly as bad as the ones he was experiencing now. As Sally's bridesmaids started to arrive at the front of the chapel, Lightning began trembling and hyperventilating.

"Lightning?" Craig whispered. "Breathe!"

Lightning gulped, and he closed his eyes while he tried to get his nerves under control.

"Here she comes," Mater whispered.

Opening his eyes, Lightning slowly turned around to see his bride drive slowly up the aisle. What he saw took his breath away.

Sally's body had been painted in a delicate, white lace print, which made her sparking blue paint beneath it look like blue crystal. On her roof, she was wearing Elinor's veil, which fell down loosely over her eyes, and trailed along the ground behind her. Attached with a small suction cap to her fender was a bouquet made up of white and pink roses and Jasmine. The fragrance from the roses and the Jasmine filled the air around the outdoor chapel with the sweetest natural aroma anyone had ever smelt. Michael beamed proudly as he escorted his daughter up the aisle to Lightning's side.

"You look…beautiful!" Lightning gushed quietly.

"S-so do you," Sally stammered nervously. "I-I mean, y-you look amazing."

Lightning chuckled softly. Clearly, they were both very nervous.

"Relax. You'll be fine," Michael told them both quietly, before he went to join his wife.

Mr Tone cleared his throat. "We are gathered here today, to celebrate one of life's greatest moments, to give recognition to the worth and beauty of love, and to cherish the words which shall unite Lightning and Sally in marriage." He turned his attention to Lightning and Sally. "Lightning and Sally, in the days ahead of you, there will be times of difficulty and conflict. When you find yourselves in these situations, I ask you to reflect on this marriage advice. Let your love been stronger than your anger. Learn the wisdom of compromise, for it is better to bend than to break. Look for the best in your beloved rather than the worst. Confide in your partner and ask for help when you need it. Remember that true friendship is the basis for any lasting relationship. Give your spouse the same courtesies and kindnesses you bestow on your friends. Say "I love you" every day."

At Mr Tone's cue, Flo drove to the front of the outdoor chapel. Once she was in position behind a microphone, she nodded to the string quartet, who began to play 'The Rose'. Flo, with tears of happiness in her eyes, began to sing:

Some say love, it is a river, that drowns the tender reed  
Some say love, it is a razor, that leaves your soul to bleed  
Some say love, it is a hunger, an endless aching need  
I say love, it is a flower, and you, it's only seed

It's the heart afraid of breaking, that never learns to dance  
It's the dream afraid of waking, that never takes the chance  
It's the one who won't be taken, who cannot seem to give  
And the soul afraid of dying, that never learns to live

When the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long  
And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong  
Just remember in the winter, far beneath the bitter snow  
Lies the seed, that with the sun's love in the spring becomes the rose.

As the song faded away, Lightning realised he wasn't the only one with tears in his eyes. Nearly everybody in the congregation was struggling to hold back their tears. Behind him, Mater was on the verge of bawling.

"Thank you, Flo," Mr Tone said as she returned to her place. "Lightning and Sally, I remind you that marriage is a precious gift; a lifelong dedication to love and a daily challenge to love one another more fully and more freely. With this understanding, do you, Lightning Blaze McQueen, take Sally Elizabeth Carrera to be your beloved wife? Do you promise to be a tender, faithful husband? Do you promise to love and cherish her, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse, and keep yourself only unto her?"

Lightning quickly tried to clear the knot that had moved from his tank to his throat. "I do," he whispered.

Blushing profusely, Sally smiled through her tears. Mr Tone continued.

"With this understanding, do you Sally Elizabeth Carrera, take Lightning Blaze McQueen to be your beloved husband? Do you promise to be a tender, faithful wife? Do you promise to love and cherish him, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse, and keep yourself only unto him?"

"I do," Sally managed to say through her trembling lips.

Mr Tone turned towards Mater. "May I have the hubcaps, please?"

Still trying desperately hard to stop sniffling, Mater turned so that the gold hubcaps could be removed from his tray. Mr Tone held them up to the congregation with his tyre.

"Lightning and Sally have chosen hubcaps as outward symbols of the commitment they make today. From earliest times, the hubcap has been a symbol of wedded love. An unbroken and never-ending circle symbolizes a commitment to love that is also never ending. Lightning, take the hubcap which you have selected, place it on Sally's wheel, and say to her these words. This hubcap, a gift for you, symbolizes my desire that you be my wife from this day forward."

"This hubcap, a gift for you, symbolises my desire that you be my wife from this day forward," Lightning repeated as clearly as he could. Once he had finished speaking, Sally turned her front left wheel towards him. Lightning gently removed the engagement hubcap that he'd given to her, and he replaced it with her wedding hubcap.

Once Sally's wedding hubcap was securely in place, Mr Tone continued. "Sally, take the hubcap which you have selected, place it on Lightning's wheel, and say to him these words. This hubcap, a gift for you, symbolizes my desire that you be my husband from this day forward."

"This hubcap, a gift for you, symbolizes my desire that you be my husband from this day forward," Sally repeated.

Lightning nervously turned his front left-hand tyre towards Sally. With great care, she secured the gold hubcap over his wheel. Once it was on, Lightning breathed a small sigh of relief before he reversed a little.

"Let these hubcaps serve not as locks binding you together, but as keys, unlocking the secrets of your hearts for each other to know, and thus bringing you closer together forever," Mr Tone pronounced. "Lightning and Sally, having witnessed your vows for marriage with all who are assembled here, and by the authority vested in me, I announce with great joy that you are husband and wife. You may seal your vows with a kiss."

Moving closer to Sally, Lightning carefully lifted up the section of delicate veil that was covering her eyes with his tyre, and he threw it smoothly over her roof. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, but then Lightning couldn't contain himself any longer. He leapt forwards, firmly cementing his lips against Sally's. Once Sally had recovered from her surprise, she kissed him back. Unable to control themselves, they kissed each other with so much passion that they momentarily forgot where they were, until Michael coughed. Reluctantly, Lightning and Sally broke off the kiss.

"There'll be more of that later," Lightning whispered.

"I'm already looking forward to it," Sally replied with a giggle.

"Ladies and gentlecars," Mr Tone said, grinning. "It is my honour to present to you, for the first time as husband and wife: Lightning and Sally McQueen."

The entire congregation burst into thunderous applause and cheering. Blushing profusely, Lightning and Sally turned to face everyone.

"I'll get you to sign the register while everyone makes their way over to the reception," Mr Tone whispered. "Off you go."

Beaming proudly, Lightning and Sally went over to their respective parents, who hugged and kissed them happily. Lightning also received hugs and kisses from his aunts. After that, Lightning and Sally drove down the aisle amidst a flurry of streamers and confetti. As they reached the end of the aisle, they paused to gaze deeply at each other. Then, ignoring everything going on around them, they kissed passionately again.

"I suppose it was best for them to marry now," Leyland said to Dutto.

"What makes you say that?"

"It's a month until Lightning's next race. He's going to need all that time to get all of the romance out of his system."

"In my experience, I think he's going to need more than a month," Dutto replied with a knowing wink. **_  
_**

Wedding program and vows were taken from this webpage: . 

Leahcar, R. (2012), CD, 'The Rose' on _Shooting Star_ , Universal Music Australia, Australia.

 **Hi everyone! I'm back! So sorry about the delay in updating. Thanks for understanding. My French exam went okay. I got a 6 out of 10, which is pretty good, so thank you all for your best wishes with that! I can't believe how close I am to graduating!**

 **Anyway, with this chapter, I must admit that I've never had to organise a wedding before - live or fictional - so I felt rather intimidated with everyone anticipating this chapter so much. But it's done now, and I'm really happy with it. I apologise if I've left something out, or made a mistake. I'm sure my astute readers will be kind enough to point out any flaws. When I write stories, accuracy is the most important aspect for me as an author, after the plot, of course. So please, don't be afraid to review. I'm not afraid of constructive criticism. Again, thank you so much for your patience!**


	35. Chapter 35 - Daydream Island

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 35 – Daydream Island

 **Rosellas at Springbrook, Gold Coast Hinterland – Monday, 25 May, 2015**

Loud knocking woke Lightning and Sally late the following morning. Like most of their guests, they'd spent to night at the wedding venue, because the reception had gone on well past midnight.

"Who is it?" Lightning muttered groggily.

"Your mother," Elinor replied through the closed door. "I really hate to disturb you two lovebirds, but you're going to miss the train if you don't wake up and get a move on."

Lightning and Sally were immediately wide awake.

"What time is it?" Sally asked anxiously.

"Eleven. The train departs from the city at exactly three forty-five this afternoon. Come and have something to eat. Leyland and Harv want to have a word with the both of you."

Ten minutes later, after Lightning and Sally had showered, they entered the restaurant where they'd had their reception the night before. While most of the decorations were still up, the restaurant had been tidied up by the staff. Sally's special wedding-day lace paintwork had washed off in the shower (as it was supposed to do), so she was back to looking like her old self. Lightning's wedding paintwork had been applied using normal paint, so he still looked the same. He intended to keep it until after their honeymoon, because it would make it much harder for him to be recognised.

Leyland, Harv, Elinor, Aunt May, Aunt Susan, Rachel and Michael were all parked at a table near a window, talking quietly.

"Morning everyone," Sally said as they joined the group.

"Morning," Rachel replied, looking up. "My! You two look like you thoroughly enjoyed yourselves last night."

Lightning and Sally shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, well… It was our wedding night," Lightning mumbled. Everyone laughed.

"Sorry to spoil your first day of wedded bliss, Lightning," Harv said. "But we have some business to take care of."

"Naturally," Lightning said, rolling his eyes.

Harv cleared his throat. "Yes, well, I thought you should know that I've agreed to sell five of your wedding photos to V8 Supercars magazine here in Australia, and to R.S.N.'s magazine back home in America. Are you both okay with that?"

"I suppose," Sally sighed, looking at Lightning. "I knew what I was getting myself into when I fell in love with a race car."

"How much are you selling them for, Harv?" Lightning asked. "On second thoughts, I don't want to know."

"They're in the seven digit figure anyway," Harv muttered.

"What?" Rachel exclaimed. "Over a million dollars just for five little photographs? I'm in the wrong business!"

Everyone laughed again.

"More than half of that will go to Lightning and Sally, of course," Harv explained.

"Is that for both magazines, or are each one paying over a million?" Michael asked.

"Each," Harv replied simply.

Sally's jaw hit the floor. "You're kidding? Why on earth would anyone pay that much just for five photographs?"

"You get more when you give exclusive rights to just a couple of magazines," Harv explained. "If everyone was allowed to publish these photos, they wouldn't be worth anywhere near as much."

"I suppose that makes sense," Elinor agreed.

"Plus, they're photos of _the_ Lightning McQueen on his wedding day. Everyone wants to see them!"

"I am so glad I decided to have our wedding here," Lightning said. "Sure, logistically, it was a bother getting all of the guests over here, but I think the media got the hint that I wanted the day to be kept as private as possible. Can we choose which photos we want to have printed?"

"Of course. I have some proofs here," Harv said, spreading them out on the table in front of Lightning and Sally. "They came from the photographer about an hour ago. You can choose which five photos you want to have published. The rest will be for your eyes only."

"Oh! I love this one!" Sally exclaimed, pointing to it with her tyre. It showed her and Lightning at the front of the outdoor chapel exchanging their vows. Sally's veil was draped elegantly on the ground behind her.

"I think this one should be framed and hung above our bed," Lightning said. He was looking at a picture taken at the moment when he'd first kissed Sally after they'd exchanged their vows. Sally's eyes were full of surprise.

"Which one?" Sally asked. As soon as she saw it, she blushed profusely. "Uh, yeah, I think that one should stay private."

Fifteen minutes later, Lightning and Sally had finally settled on which five photos they wanted to release to the media. They also selected a few more which they wanted to keep for themselves. They'd sort through the rest once they'd returned from their honeymoon.

With the business out of the way, Lightning and Sally ordered a late breakfast. While they waited for it to arrive, Leyland spoke up.

"I wanted to give you your wedding gift last night, like everyone else did, but after Mater accidentally knocked over the champagne tower, I decided to wait until things were less chaotic." And with that, he passed over an envelope.

Lightning took several sheets of paper out of the envelope. As soon as he'd read the first paper, he looked up at Leyland, stunned.

"A-are you serious?"

Leyland nodded, but he couldn't hide the glee in his eyes.

"What is it?" Sally asked, snatching the papers from Lightning. Her eyes widened when she also read the first page. "This is a title deed," she said, stating the obvious.

Leyland nodded again. "Congratulations, Mr and Mrs McQueen. You're now the proud owners of a fifty acre property in the suburb of Rochdale. That's on the south-side of Brisbane, in case you don't know. And, it's about a twenty minute drive from our team headquarters."

Sally looked at the second piece of paper, which showed photos of the property. "But… Leyland! This is a mansion!"

Leyland couldn't helped smiling. "Eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, a huge media room, extensive kitchen and butler's pantry, pool room, tennis courts, gym, a spa and a swimming pool… I've forgotten what else it has. I know it's rather flamboyant, but I figured that you both needed a decent start to your new life together. Especially after you lost everything in that terrible fire. This property came up on the market at exactly the right time. It was going to be auctioned, but I offered the previous owners a fair price. It's all been paid for, and you can move in as soon as you return from your honeymoon."

Tears pricked Lightning's eyes. Unable to hold them back, he drove over to a nearby window, so he could cry without anyone seeing him. Realising that Lightning wanted to be alone for a moment, nobody followed him.

"Leyland…" Sally began. "I…we… Thank you. I don't know what else to say! This is…far beyond anything we ever expected."

"I understand," Leyland said.

"We're going to need servants just to run the place!" Sally protested.

"That's all been taken care of," Aunt May told her. "My lifestyle these days is far less extravagant than it was when my brother was alive, so I'm downsizing. And before you ask, no I'm not selling the family apartment. Well, not yet, anyway. Lightning will eventually inherit it, and then he can decide what to do with the place. I realise that he'll probably decide to sell it, considering he was there when his father was… Well, anyway, I've decided to downsize the domestic staff. Mr Hood has asked if he could work for you both as butler, and Gracie would like to become your housekeeper. She'd like a change from working with children, but if you both decide to have a family…well, let's just say that she's ready for that task too. If you do decide to employ them, that is. We've already sorted out the paperwork, and they're here on work visas, so you only have to say yes."

Having managed to get control of his tears, Lightning returned to the table. "You've figured everything out, haven't you, aunt?"

"We all have," Elinor told him.

"Leyland told us his plan months ago," Michael added. "We all contributed in whatever way we could."

Sally stared at her parents. "You mean…?"

"Oh, goodness! Just look at the time!" Rachel exclaimed. "Ah, good! Here's your breakfast. Hurry up and eat that, and then we'll escort you to Brisbane. You don't want to miss your train."

…

Three hours later, Lightning and Sally arrived at Roma Street Railway Station, along with most of their family and friends. After bidding everyone a fond farewell, Lightning and Sally boarded the train's first class carriage.

"Welcome aboard the _Spirit of Queensland_ , Mr and Mrs McQueen," the stewardess, a mini coupe, said as she checked their tickets. "If you'd like to follow me, I'll show you to your cabin."

Minutes later, Lightning and Sally were getting settled inside their roomy cabin. The stewardess poured them a couple of glasses of champagne.

"We're scheduled to arrive in Proserpine shortly before six a.m.," the stewardess explained. "I'll give you a wake-up call at five, if that suits you?"

"That'll be fine, thank you," Lightning replied, smiling.

"I'll leave you now. Dinner is served between six and nine. There's no need for you to rush to get there early. We have a table reserved for you. The train will depart in about fifteen minutes, so please do not leave the carriage. If there's anything else you need, just press that buzzer on the floor beside the door, and I'll be with you as soon as I can."

"Thank you," Lightning and Sally replied in unison as the stewardess left.

"Now, where were we before we fell asleep last night?" Lightning asked, teasingly. "Oh! Now I remember…" And with that, Lightning tickled Sally behind her front fender, making her giggle.

"Stickers! Stop that! You'll make me knock over my champagne!"

"Sorry. You're just too cute to resist." And Lightning began kissing Sally passionately.

A few minutes later, they were interrupted by the sound of a blaring horn outside.

"All aboard!" someone shouted in the distance.

Reluctantly, Lightning and Sally went into the carriage aisle, and they opened a window. On the platform, they could see everyone gathered together in a group behind a barrier.

"Mum! Dad!" Sally shouted. "We're over here!"

The guard sounded his whistle. Seconds later, the diesel locomotive began hauling the heavy train out of the station platform.

"Bye!" Mater shouted above everyone else.

"Bye everyone!" Lightning shouted, waving his tyre. "See you all in two weeks!"

"Love you all!" Sally added.

Minutes later, with the station out of sight, Lightning and Sally returned to their cabin, to be alone with each other.

…

At five o'clock the following morning, the stewardess knocked on the door of Lightning and Sally's cabin. "Wake up call, Mr and Mrs McQueen. Your breakfast will arrive in fifteen minutes."

Groaning sleepily, Lightning and Sally reluctantly woke up. Sally drew back the curtain to reveal the pre-dawn sky. Lightning stretched out his axles.

"I'm going to take a quick shower. Let me know when our breakfast arrives."

"Don't be too long. I want to shower next," Sally replied.

Lightning was very quick, as was Sally. She'd just got out of the shower, when the stewardess returned with their breakfast. Lightning was parked at the window, watching the sunrise.

"I still can't get over just how amazingly beautiful Australia is!" he said as Sally joined him. Sally passed him a can of warm oil.

"Mmm… I love seeing all the different types of trees. I think they're something more…I don't know…interesting about the appearance of gumtrees over pine trees. The fact that none of them are the same reminds me of us, I guess. No two cars are the same."

"Even after they've fallen in love with each other," Lightning added, moving in for another kiss.

Just as Lightning and Sally's lips touched, the sun's rays burst out from over the horizon, enveloping the happy couple in a shower of glorious beams of sunlight.

…

By seven o'clock, Lightning and Sally were safely aboard the boat that was taking them, and other guests, over to Daydream Island in the Whitsundays. Lightning found that he couldn't keep his eyes off Sally as the crisp, ocean breezes whipped around them.

"This is so beautiful!" Sally exclaimed, looking around at the small islands that the boat was taking them past. "Just look at how white that sand is! I couldn't believe it when I saw the pictures online, but now I do believe it. I've never seen anything more beautiful."

"Oh, I have," Lightning said with a grin, and he moved in for another kiss.

"You sneaky little…" Sally began, but then Lightning placed his lips over hers.

"Look! A submarine!" someone suddenly shouted. Within seconds, Lightning and Sally's romantic place at the bow of the boat was invaded by other excited tourists.

"Well, that's one way to kill the romance," Sally muttered as they reluctantly broke off the kiss.

"We'll finish that later," Lightning promised.

Looking over the railing, they saw a pod of submarines darting around just beneath the crystal clear water. One of the submarines jumped out of the water, squealing excitedly as it rode the bow wave.

"I've heard that submarines can be just as smart as cars, and other land-based vehicles," Sally remarked. "What do you think, Stickers?"

"I've heard that too, so it must be true."

"Aww! There's a baby one! Look!"

"I can see it."

"That reminds me. We need to start thinking about when we're going to start a family."

Seeing the bemused look on the faces of the cars beside them, Lightning quickly whispered to Sally, "Don't mention that here! There's kids around."

Sally just laughed heartily.

Finally, the boat arrived at their destination – Daydream Island. A small group of staff members were gathered on the jetty to welcome their latest visitors to the resort island. A smartly-painted blue forklift drove over to Lightning and Sally as they disembarked from the boat.

"Mr and Mrs McQueen?"

"That's us," Sally replied.

"Welcome to Daydream Island. My name is Simon, and I'll be your butler during your stay here. We have your honeymoon suite all ready for you, so please feel free to follow me when you're ready."

Nodding, Lightning and Sally followed him over to a series of lowset apartments overlooking the swimming pools on one side, and the ocean on the other. Simon showed them to their room.

"I hope you'll be quite comfortable during your stay here. I understand that you've booked in for the Great Barrier Reef tour on Thursday?"

"Yes, that's right," Lightning replied.

"I'm sure you'll enjoy it," Simon said as he poured them a couple of glasses of champagne that was part of the honeymoon suite package. "It is one of our most popular activities. The evening submarine feeding is also very popular, but if you're feeling more adventurous, the water-skiing is another activity that many of our guests enjoy. Please, let me know if you're interested in participating in any of the activities on offer, and I'll arrange it all for you."

"Thank you, Simon," Sally said gratefully.

Simon nodded. "I shall leave you to get settled. I hope you enjoy your stay."

Lightning exhaled deeply as soon as the door closed behind Simon. "I thought he'd never leave!"

"Me too! So, shall we finish off that kiss? Or call our parents to let them know that we've arri-"

Sally never got to finish her sentence. Lightning's lips had answered the question.

 **Thank you so much for your reviews! They were really encouraging, considering I don't write romance very often. I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much.**


	36. Chapter 36 - Day 1 at Darwin - Part 1

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 36 – Day 1 at the SKYCITY Triple Crown – Part 1

 **SKYCITY Triple Crown, Day 1 – Hidden Valley Raceway, 10 kms from Darwin, Northern Territory – Saturday, 20 June, 2015**

"Damn it!" Jamie exclaimed as he deliberately slammed his wheel against a stand holding a stack of tyres. Things had not been going well for him at all lately, and he was really feeling the pressure. Aside from the fact that he'd accidentally gotten Lightning drunk at his bucks night, Leyland had given him an ultimatum – perform well at the SKYCITY Triple Crown, or he'd make Jamie undergo an engine transplant. In truth, Jamie was scared – very scared. Leyland's interpretation of performing well meant being on the podium, and from the way the practice sessions had gone, Jamie knew exactly where he'd be heading straight to after this event.

 _What is wrong with me? I've won so many races in the last three years, so what's going on with me this year? Is it just because I'm getting older? But Craig's ten years older than I am, and he still does well. This just does not make any sense. I wish Lightning was here. He'd know what to say to me._

Since there were no Development Series races taking place that weekend, Lightning and Sally had stayed in Brisbane, so they could get settled into their new home. Nobody was surprised or jealous by Leyland's wedding gift to them. After all, it was obvious to everyone that Leyland had taken Lightning under his wheel. Jamie remembered when Leyland had done the same for him. Perhaps that was why he wanted Jamie to undergo the engine transplant, instead of just kicking him off the team. Leyland really cared about everyone on the team, and he did what he could to ensure that everyone was happy, even if it meant dishing out some tough love every now and again.

Across the garage, Craig looked up from Grant's laptop, and he watched his teammate closely. He knew Jamie well enough to see that he was very frightened about something. And considering how badly Jamie's practices had gone, he wouldn't have been surprised if Jamie was scared of what Leyland would say to him. His best result had been seventh in the second practice the day before, while his worst result had been 21st in the practice they'd had earlier that morning. In contrast, Craig's best result had been sixth, while his worst had been 15th. It seemed that the newly resurfaced racetrack just wasn't agreeing with them at all this year. Plus, Craig had the added pressure of everyone expecting him to take out his hundredth V8 Supercars race win. No V8 Supercar had ever had a hundred career race wins, and the anticipation was building. Craig couldn't wait to give the crowds what they wanted.

Craig pushed the laptop back to Grant. "Thanks for showing me that data, Shippy."

"Shippy?" Grant snorted. "Where did that come from?"

"It's my new nickname for you. We warned you that you'd get one before too long, and since you love yachting so much…"

"Yeah, well… I suppose it had to happen. Anyway, do you see where you need to improve?"

"Yes. It's not going to be easy doing it on soft tyres though. I'm just glad we come here in winter and not summer. We'd all melt if we tried to race here in summer! So, what's the plan for qualifying?"

"We'll send you out on an old set of hard tyres, so you can warm up. After a couple of laps, come back in, and we'll give you a new set of softs."

"Sounds good. I just hope I can get a good grid position this time."

"Just do your best. That's all anyone can ask of you. Even Leyland."

"Sure wish Lightning was here right now. You know, whenever he asks me for advice, I find that it helps me remember what I need to do to get an advantage."

"Just don't give away too much, or you'll find him hanging off your rear bumper when you start racing against him next year."

Craig and Grant laughed. Seeing that Jamie was still hiding away in a corner, Craig drove over to him.

"Jamie? I-is everything okay?"

"Of course it isn't!" Jamie snapped, trying desperately hard to pull himself together. Seeing Craig's shocked expression, he softened. "I'm sorry Craig. The pressure's getting to me, I guess."

"It's okay. I'm sure you'll do well today. Just try not to push too hard at the hairpin, or you'll end up going off-road."

"I'll remember that," Jamie replied, smiling a little.

"Would you like a drink?"

"Better not. Qualifying is only fifteen minutes away. I might get stitches."

"Good point. Still, a sip wouldn't hurt."

"I guess not."

Over at the computers, Leyland and Dutto were busy comparing Craig and Jamie's data.

"You miss not having Lightning with us this weekend?" Leyland asked casually.

"Actually, I don't. It means I can do my job properly for once."

"You must be the only one then."

"Let's forget about Lightning for now. Just look at this data. I'm beginning to notice a pattern with Jamie."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Ever since you began to get concerned over his lack of speed, I've been analysing his data carefully. Tell me, what do you think is wrong with him?"

"I think he's losing horsepower in his engine. Doctor Andrews doesn't seem to agree with me for some reason though."

"And what does he think it is?"

"He won't tell me."

"Oh? Why not?

Leyland shrugged. "He said it was strictly between himself and Jamie. Since he's a doctor, I can't force him to tell me what Jamie's told him in confidence. Of course, that makes things much harder for us."

"Yeah," Dutto agreed. "Jamie? Can you come over here, please?"

Jamie drove over to them. "Sup?"

"I've been studying your data, Jamie, and I have a theory about what might be wrong with you."

A flicker of relief and then fear crossed Jamie's face. "What is it?"

"Don't panic, but I can assure you that it's nothing to do with your engine."

Jamie breathed a small sigh of relief. They hadn't worked out that he had Jaguar Syndrome. That was good, because only Dr Andrews and Lightning knew about it, and that's the way he wanted it to be. "What is wrong with me then?"

"I'll have to get Doctor Andrews to run some tests, but I think there's a fault with your anti-roll bars."

"How does that affect his speed?" Leyland wondered.

"Jamie's been having problems with his balance all year, hasn't he?"

"Yes…"

"Balance is vital for stopping a racer from rolling around too much on their chassis. And the balance is controlled with the anti-roll bars. If Jamie's anti-roll bars have a fault in them, he won't be able to balance properly, no matter what you do to him, and that would account for his lack of speed this year."

Nobody said anything for moment as Dutto's words sank in. Finally, Jamie asked, "How can we know for sure that that's what's wrong with me?"

"Here's what we'll do. I'll get the boys to manually adjust your anti-roll bars to their tightest. If by the end of the first qualifying session we find that they're loose again, we'll know for sure that we've found the problem."

"And then what?"

"Then, I'm afraid Doctor Andrews will have to decide what to do. Anti-roll bar surgery isn't as risky as having an engine replacement, but it will hurt a lot more."

Jamie frowned worriedly. He didn't want to have any surgery at all, but if it meant he could keep racing, he knew he'd have to go through with it.

"Let's just see what happens to them in our test today," Dutto said. "If it's not them, I don't know what we'll do, so in that sense, I'm hoping that I'm right."

"I hope you're right too," Jamie replied in a low voice.

A few minutes later, a couple of the pit crew members were busy manually tightening Jamie's anti-roll bars. Jamie couldn't help wincing as he felt his whole body become more and more ridged. Manual adjustment of the anti-roll bars was faster than the minute automatic adjustments he did himself, but they hurt a lot.

"You okay there, Jamie?" Davo asked him kindly. "You're looking a little pale."

"Just hurry up!" Jamie snapped.

Outside, an air horn sounded. That was the signal for the racers to line up outside their pit garages.

"I've gotta go, guys," Jamie grumbled. "I don't want to be fined for being late."

"There," one of the pit crew members said. "That's the tightest I can get them on this side."

"I'm done too," his companion added.

Dutto held out one of his forklift arms, giving Jamie the 'all clear' to leave the garage. Jamie drove carefully outside, squinting as the bright Northern Territory sunshine hit him full in the face. Beside him, Craig revved his engine eagerly.

"Jamie? Can you hear me?" Davo asked over the radio.

"Yup."

"Good. Right, we've only got ten minutes for this, so I'm going to get you to do about three warm-up laps, and then come in. Leyland's ordered for Craig to have priority in the pits today, so we'll just have to wait until things are ready here before you come in."

"Why can't I just come in after one lap?" Jamie protested.

"You'll do as you are told, Jamie," Leyland interrupted over the radio. "Remember Bathurst last year?"

Jamie pouted. Trust Leyland to bring that up!

"Right, pit lane is open," Dutto said to both Craig and Jamie at the same time over the radio. "Pit lane is open. Stick to your orders. We can debate everything later."

"Copy that," Craig replied.

"Jamie?"

"Yeah, yeah. Copy."

And with that, Jamie led the field of racers out of pit row. He had a sinking feeling in his tank when he realised that, if things didn't improve soon, he'd lose his number one position as the defending champion. It wasn't something he'd really thought about until that moment.

 _Right, Jamie_ , he told himself. _Give this qualifying session everything you've got!_

Two laps later, Jamie heard Davo's voice on the radio. "Jamie, come in for your soft tyres now."

Jamie did so. While his brand new set of soft racing tyres were being bolted on, he mentally visualised his qualification lap. He knew what he had to do; he only hoped he could turn mental imagery into reality.

Jamie was rudely jerked back to reality when his jacks were retracted, dropping him back down onto the ground.

"Right, Jamie, you're clear to go," Davo told him.

Ensuring his pit row speed limiter was still on, Jamie took off. Once he'd crossed the line at the end of pit row, Jamie switched off the pit row speed limiter, and he floored it.

"How much time is left on the clock?" he asked Davo.

"Just under two minutes. You'll have to make your next lap your qualifying lap."

"Where's Craig currently sitting?"

"Fourth. Mostert currently has pole with a one-oh-seven-point-one-four-eight-five."

"Thanks for that."

Now that he knew what time he needed to beat, Jamie began to set himself up for his qualifying lap. His body still felt stiff, but in a good way. It meant he'd be able to take the corners tighter without having tail slides.

Coming down the home straight, Jamie floored his engine. Within seconds, he was redlining. There was no doubt about it. He was going to give this qualifying lap everything he had.

…

"Third?" Jamie exclaimed with bitter disappointment.

"Don't be upset," Craig comforted. "You managed to beat me! I barely got within the top ten, starting in ninth."

"Leave me alone, Craig!" Jamie shouted, making everyone stop what they were doing to watch the exchange. "You don't have a clue what's going on here, so just mind your own business!"

And with that, Jamie stormed off to the team's trailers. For a moment, nobody dared to say anything. Craig turned to face Leyland and Dutto.

"Did I miss something?"

"Just give him some space," Dutto advised. "He's under a lot of stress right now."

"Aren't we all?" Craig muttered.

Dr Andrews was enjoying the air conditioning inside the trailer when Jamie burst through the door.

"How'd qualifying go?" Dr Andrews asked innocently.

"Third," Jamie huffed. "Then I went and took it out on Craig. I regret snapping at him now. He was only trying to help."

"How are your anti-roll bars feeling now?" Dr Andrews asked, changing the subject.

"Actually, now that you mention it, they do feel looser than they were before I began that qualifying round."

Dr Andrews typed a note into his computer. "Did you alter them at all during qualifying?"

"No."

"I see. Well, I think we might have our answer now. I'll let Leyland, Dutto and Davo know for now." He started towards the door. "I think you'd better get back to the pits. Your next qualifying round starts in five minutes, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess I'd better get back," Jamie sighed.

"Look, don't worry about this. Just do the best you can out there. I'm sure Leyland will give you a break once he knows what's wrong with you."

…

Jamie ended up qualifying in seventeenth place for the second race that would be held later that day, while Craig ended up qualifying in fifth. Jamie tried to be happy for his friend, and he apologised for shouting at him earlier. Fortunately, Craig was in a good mood, and he readily accepted Jamie's apology.

Finally, it was time for the first race of the weekend. As Jamie rolled into third place on the grid, he tried his best to concentrate on the race ahead. In front of him were James Courtney and Chaz Mostert – two of Redbulldozer Racing's biggest rivals. Alongside him in fourth place was Fabian Coulthard – another fierce competitor. For the first time in his racing career, Jamie felt extremely vulnerable.

"Hey, Jamie?" Fabian said. "Are you feeling okay? You look rather pale."

"I've just got a lot on my mind right now, that's all," Jamie replied. "Good luck today."

"You too. I'm not used to seeing you off the podium."

"You and me both, mate." Jamie muttered.

"Green flag, green flag," Davo told Jamie over the radio. "Five seconds…"

Jamie revved his engine, joining in the harmonic roar of twenty-four other V8 engines. As soon as the lights went out, Jamie floored it. As the racers accelerated down the straight, Jamie tried to maintain his position in the middle of the track. Being on the inside going into turn one was just about the worst place to be, because of the hairpin bend at the end of the straight.

Since Jamie was desperately trying to fight to maintain his track position, he failed to see just how close he was to the end of the straight. He braked hard, but it was too late. He managed to hit Coulthard directly in his side with his front right-hand fender, and then Jamie's right rear wheel got caught up with Coulthard's left rear wheel. For a brief second, Jamie was almost climbing on top of Coulthard, but then the force of the impact sent them both skidding off the racetrack and into the dirt.

"Ouch! Jamie!" Coulthard exclaimed as he spat some dirt out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry!" Jamie quickly apologised.

Without saying another word, both racers headed back towards the tarmac. They were now well and truly behind the rest of the field. Jamie frowned when he heard Coulthard speaking on his radio. He realised that Coulthard was asking his crew chief to launch a protest. Up ahead, Jamie saw Craig and Blanchard go spinning off the track at the second hairpin. He shook his front in disbelief. Clearly, things weren't going well for the team today.

 **Thank you so much for the positive reviews everyone! I'm thrilled that everyone enjoyed the wedding and the honeymoon chapters. Please, keep the reviews coming. I really look forward to reading them and getting your feedback.**


	37. Chapter 37 - Day 1 at Darwin - Part 2

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 37 – Day 1 at the SKYCITY Triple Crown – Part 2

 **SKYCITY Triple Crown, Day 1 – Hidden Valley Raceway, 10 kms from Darwin, Northern Territory – Saturday, 20 June, 2015**

 _Can this day get any worse?_ Jamie thought miserably as he grabbed one of his specially formulated drinks out of the bar fridge. The first race had ended badly for both himself and Craig. Craig had been unable to recover from his spinout on the first lap, and had finished the race in eighteenth. Jamie had done little better, finishing in eleventh. He would've preferred a top-ten finish at the very least.

Hearing a commotion, Jamie looked up. A small group of officials had arrived at the team's pit garage.

"Nobody is to leave here until we've completed our inspection!" one of the official ordered. "Leyland Dane?"

"He's in the trailer," Grant replied.

The first official gestured to one of his colleagues. "Go and get him. The rest of you, search the whole garage. Craig and Jamie? You'll be coming with me as soon as our random check is over."

"Why?" Jamie asked nervously. While he and Craig were used to the random pit garage checks for banned substances and devices, they'd never been asked to go with the officials afterwards.

"You'll find out," the official replied.

A moment later, Leyland arrived. "Sorry I wasn't here to welcome you," he said sarcastically. "I was in a meeting with our team doctor."

"That's fine," the official replied with a wave of his forklift arm. "I just need to let you know that I'll be taking Craig and Jamie for a random fuel test."

Leyland was surprised. "Both of them?"

"Yes, you see, because of the unusually large number of protests we've had during this race, we've decided to test all the cars involved. There were eight protests in total. Jamie's had two protests brought against him, while Craig has one. They'll both be required to go before the Investigation Officer after the last race today"

Leyland exhaled deeply, but he didn't argue. He knew there was no getting out of it. It was easier just to deal with these investigations and move on from them as quickly as possible, instead of dragging them out and making matters worse.

"The garage is clear, sir," one of the other officials reported.

"Good. All right, Craig and Jamie. You'd better come with me."

Reluctantly, Craig and Jamie followed the officials out of the pit garage.

…

An hour and a half later, it was time for the second race of the day. Jamie begrudgingly lined up on the seventeenth place on the starting grid. He wasn't used to starting so far back in the field, so he knew he'd have to be careful not to get caught up in anymore incidents. Considering the way the previous race had gone, he knew that everyone was going to be racing hard.

"Green flag, Jamie, green flag," Davo told him over the radio.

Jamie responded by revving his engine. Up near the front of the grid, Craig was also revving his engine, ready for the start. He knew how much his fans were wanting him to win, and so he was determined not to let them down.

The lights went out, and the race was on. As they raced down the straight, Craig started looking for an opening. He hated being boxed in. But just when he thought he'd have to drop back as they went around turn one, he saw the two leaders, Fabian Coulthard and Rick Kelly, take each other out. That left a huge gap open for Craig to go through, and he took it without hesitating. Coming out of the turn, Craig had taken the lead, much to the delight of the crowd.

"Nice move, Craig," Grant said over the radio. "Now, just stay focused, and hold onto that position."

"Copy that," Craig replied, grinning.

Towards the back of the field, Jamie was being pummelled. He had no idea where Craig was, but he didn't care right then. He had Heimgartner, Drivinson, Wheelsworth, Percat, Wall, and Coulthard, who'd managed to get back onto the track, all around him.

As they raced towards the second hairpin, everything seemed to happen at once. Jamie saw Drivinson give Heimgartner a bump, which turned Heimgartner sideways, right in front of him. Jamie instinctively ducked to the left to try and avoid hitting him, but he failed to see that Percat was also making the same move.

"Hey! Watch out!" Percat shouted, causing Jamie to hesitate in panic. Something hit Jamie hard in his right hand side, sending him spinning. For a moment, all he could hear was the screeching sound of metal upon metal, and the agonised cries from his fellow racers. Then, as they all finally stopped moving, the area fell eerily silent. Jamie was still on the tarmac, but he knew he'd been badly injured.

"Jamie?" Davo called anxiously over the radio. "Are you okay, mate?"

Jamie couldn't answer. He was still trying to recover his breath after being winded. A sharp pain was coming from his right hand side.

"Jamie?"

"I can't move," Jamie finally managed to reply shakily. However, he was somewhat glad to hear the audible sigh of relief from Davo.

"They've called out the safety car," Davo told him. "The paramedics are on their way. Keep talking to me, please."

Talking a deep breath, Jamie opened his eyes. Looking around he was shocked to see just how many racers had been involved in the crash. Including himself, there were six. He was relieved to see that Wheelsworth, Wall and Coulthard were already on their tyres. Most of their damage didn't appear to be too serious, but Jamie knew that he and everyone else might have some internal damage.

Groaning heavily, Jamie struggled to get to his tyres.

"Don't move, Jamie," Davo warned.

"I'm okay," Jamie replied. "It's just my right side. I feel like I was hit by a semi."

"Jamie… You're bleeding," Davo told him gently. "Badly. Please, don't move. You'll only made it worse."

Sure enough, Jamie was already starting to feel dizzy. Stars floated before his eyes, just as the paramedics arrived.

"Just relax there, Jamie," one of the paramedics said. "I'm just going to give you a painkiller, and then we'll-"

"No!" Jamie snapped. "No painkillers, or I won't be able to race."

"Why don't you let us be the judge of that?" the paramedic said as she prepared a needle.

Seeing the needle, Jamie felt a powerful wave of adrenalin surge through him. There was no way he was going to accept a painkiller just because he was bleeding! Before the paramedic could finish preparing the injection, Jamie spun around, and he took off up the track.

"JAMIE WIN-CUP!" Leyland shouted at him over the radio. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

"I'm pitting," Jamie replied evenly. "And you can forget about giving me any painkillers! I'm going to finish this race!"

"Are you sure? We should get you checked out at least."

"I'm fine! Just get Doctor Andrews to seal up where I'm bleeding, and I'll keep going. I can't afford to have a DNF."

Inside the pit garage, Leyland, Dutto and Davo exchanged anxious glances. Nobody had the heart to tell Jamie that he'd lost an entire door panel in the accident. It was a significant injury, but it wasn't bad enough to put him out of the race entirely. If Jamie could get through the pain, there was no reason to pull him out of the race.

By the time Jamie arrived back at the pits, he was so full of adrenalin that he could no longer feel any pain. He was quickly ushered inside the garage. Nobody said a word as the pit crew set about examining Jamie's gaping wound. Dr Andrews applied a special solution to Jamie's bleeding oil lines, which sealed them closed, stopping the bleeding. After that, the pit crew placed a temporary panel over the wound, stapling it into place.

While they were doing that, Dutto offered Jamie a drink of one of his high protein oils. Jamie accepted it, knowing that he'd need it to be able to finish the race.

Finally, everyone had finished. "You're good to go now, Jamie," Leyland informed him. "Just be careful out there though. You won't be able to take another hit on you right hand side."

"Understood."

As Jamie headed down pit row he could see in his rear view mirrors that the safety car was approaching, leading the field of racers behind him. Jamie knew he had to get back onto the track ahead of the safety car, or he'd be down a lap. Luckily, he made it onto the track just in time. A lap later, the safety car left the track.

As Jamie struggled to catch up with the field, he happened to overhear a live interview that was taking place with Percat, who'd been taken to the first aid centre. Jamie glanced at one of the large TV screens that was set up for the crowd.

"I'm absolutely guttered," Percat was saying, while the medical team worked on him. "To race against someone like Jamie Win-cup and Will Drivinson, and they pull a move like that on Heimgartner is a joke. I just want to go and punch them right now for the damage they've done to me. I'm having a good weekend. We're a small team, punching above our weight. Beating Triple Eight with their millions of dollars, and then he goes and drives like a tool. He was like that in race one. I'm over it! How has that bloke won anything?"

Jamie bristled. He knew he had not caused that accident, but obviously Percat had seen things differently.

"Stuck-up little-"

"Jamie!" Davo snapped over the radio. "Forget everything that happened and just focus on finishing the race! We'll deal with it all later."

While Jamie barely remembered what happened during the rest of the race, Craig certainly did. Being at the front of the field, he was able to get plenty of clean air, and that helped him increase his lead. By lap nineteen, Craig was 5.2 seconds ahead of Slade, who was in second place. But he was careful not to get too cocky. Cockiness often led to silly mistakes, and he couldn't afford that.

"How's Jamie going?" he asked Grant casually over the radio.

"He's just moved up into sixteenth," Grant replied. "How are you feeling?"

"Good."

"Great! You've got two laps to go. Just stay consistent."

A few minutes later, Craig entered the final lap. Realising that they were witnessing history in the making, the crowd rose and began giving Craig a standing ovation. Even those fans who supported other teams joined in. Craig couldn't hide his smile as he raced up the home straight for the final time. Seeing the chequered flag waving from the starter's box, Craig drove closer to it so he could pass under it as he crossed the finish line.

"You did it, Craig! You did it!" Grant practically shouted over the radio as Craig crossed over the finish line. The rest of the team were gathered along the pit row wall, cheering and applauding excitedly.

"Thank you, guys!" Craig gushed. "This will be a day I'll remember forever!"

"Go and have some fun," Leyland told him. "We'll meet you at the podium. You know where it is!"

Craig couldn't help laughing. He waited until all the other racers had gone past him, before he started spinning burnouts in celebration. After he'd done a few for the ecstatic crowd, Craig returned to the pits, where he was swamped by the entire team. Even Jamie was there to congratulate him. He'd ended up finishing in sixteenth.

"Congratulations, mate," Jamie said sincerely. "You were lucky everything fell into place for you today. After all, you're number 888, and you managed to win the 888th V8 Supercars race. Not to mention the fact that it's your birthday tomorrow."

"Thanks, mate," Craig replied, grinning. "I'm sorry you had such a hard day at the office. Never mind. It won't be long until you also get a hundred wins too. You're only nine wins away from it, so it'll be great to see your name up there alongside mine."

"Yeah."

"How's your side? It looks painful."

"I suppose I'd better get that checked out. But you need to get up on the podium. Everyone's waiting for you."

Minutes later, it was time for the trophy presentation.

"Ladies and gentlecars. Please welcome the winner of race fourteen in the V8 Supercars Championship Series, Craig Louds!"

The crowd erupted as Craig drove up onto the podium. He waved a tyre at the crowd, acknowledging them.

"Please welcome the owner of Triple Eight Race Engineering Australia, Leyland Dane!"

Leyland couldn't hide the grin on his face as he parked off to the side of the podium. "Great work today, Craig," he whispered.

"Thanks, Leyland. I couldn't have done it without you."

The announcer continued. "In second place, Tim Slade!"

The cheers continued as Slade parked between Craig and Leyland.

"And in third place, Chaz Mostert!"

Once the trophies had been presented, and a special gold sheet had been placed over Craig, it was time for the champagne celebration. Craig grabbed his huge bottle of champagne and, after a forklift had helped him remove the cork, he began spraying it all over Leyland!

"Hey!" Leyland protested, only to end up getting champagne in his mouth.

"This is for all those times when you've said I wasn't trying my hardest, when I was!" Craig said, laughing. "And the early mornings and late evenings! And for making me train when I didn't feel like it!"

"Okay, okay!" Leyland spluttered. "I get the message! Now, go drown somebody else! Please!"

"Spoilsport," Craig muttered. Holding the champagne bottle between his front tyres, he leaned over the balcony. "Hey, Dutto! Catch!"

Dutto managed to catch the bottle safely in his forklift arms. "We'll open up a fresh bottle for you after your race tomorrow!" he promised. "There'll be no more alcohol for you until then!" And with that, Dutto began dousing the rest of the team in champagne.

…

A couple of hours later, shortly after the sun had set, Jamie entered the V8 Supercars transporter to meet with the Investigating and Prosecuting Officer (IPO). He'd undergone a thorough medical check-up, which he'd passed. He'd also had a new panel fitted, and a repaint. Just by looking at him, nobody would be able to tell that he'd been in an accident only a few hours earlier.

"Come in!" the IPO called after Jamie had knocked on the compartment door. Jamie entered the small room. "Ahh, Jamie. It was good of you to come, considering you were injured earlier. How are you feeling now?"

"Much better, thanks. I've been repaired, and Doctor Lee has already passed me as fit to race tomorrow."

"That's good. Just so that you're aware, I'll be recording this meeting. Do you have any objection to that?"

"No."

"Good." The IPO pressed a button on his computer, which started the recording. He spoke into a microphone. "This is V8 Supercars Championship Series interview number one-six-three-eight-five. Subject one: Racer number one, Jamie Win-Cup, against racer number fourteen, Fabian Coulthard, for careless driving at turn one, lap one, race thirteen. Hidden Valley Raceway, twentieth of June, 2015. Subject two: Racer number one, Jamie Win-Cup against racer number nine, Will Drivinson, for careless driving at turn six, lap seventeen, race thirteen. Hidden Valley Raceway, twentieth of June, 2015." The IPO turned back towards Jamie. "To begin with, I've been reviewing the footage from all the incidents you were involved in today. Now, despite what Percat said earlier, we've established that nobody was to blame for the accident at turn five, lap one, in race fourteen. You were an innocent victim in it, as were the others. I've decided that nobody will be penalised for that. Do you have anything you wish to say about that incident?"

"Only that I'd appreciate an apology from Percat. I was not driving 'like a tool'. I was merely trying to avoid a collision, and I didn't see him coming up beside me. By the time I knew he was there, there was nothing I could do."

The IPO nodded. "Yes, that's what we saw in the footage. We can ask Percat to apologise, but that'll be entirely up to him if he wants to do that. Now, let's look at these other protests that were brought against you. First of all, you and Coulthard. Can you tell me what happened there, please?"

"I admit that that incident was entirely my fault. I failed to brake in time, which caused me to collide with Fabian. I apologised to him as soon as it happened, and I accept full responsibility for it."

"I see. In that case, since you admit that it was your fault, and your explanation matches the video evidence, I'm afraid I shall have to impose a twenty-five point penalty on you for careless driving. Do you have anything else you wish to add?"

"No." Jamie frowned. Earlier, he'd found out that Craig had been penalised fifteen points for his racing infringement. Twenty-five points seemed to be rather harsh, since neither he nor Coulthard had been injured, and he really needed to hang onto all the points he could get right now. However, he knew that it was pointless arguing with the officials. Usually, that only made things worst.

Seeing Jamie's demure expression, the IPO exhaled deeply. After making some notes on his computer, he turned back to Jamie.

"The second incident in race thirteen was between you and Will Drivinson. What's your explanation for that one?"

"I'd lost one of my rear view mirrors earlier in the race, so I didn't see him trying to overtake me on that side. By the time I knew he was there, I'd hit him. Since I had the racing line, there wasn't much I could've done to avoid him."

The IPO nodded again. "Okay. I'll speak to Drivinson about that, and see what he has to say. You should have my verdict by morning. Thank you for your time, Jamie. You may go now."

Jamie exhaled heavily as he left the transporter. He'd had a horrible day, and all he wanted to do was put it behind him and move on. He hoped he'd have better luck tomorrow.


	38. Chapter 38 - Day 2 at Darwin

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 38 – Day 2 at the SKYCITY Triple Crown

 **SKYCITY Triple Crown, Day 2 – Hidden Valley Raceway, 10 kms from Darwin, Northern Territory – Sunday, 21 June, 2015**

"So, it's definitely my anti-roll bars then?" Jamie asked Dr Andrews the following morning.

"I'm afraid so," Dr Andrews sighed. "I've already informed Doctor Lee, Leyland, Dutto and Davo. They've agreed to keep the pressure off you today. Just do the best you can, but don't push yourself."

"Okay, I won't," Jamie agreed. "So, where do we go from here?"

"I'd like to conduct some exploratory surgery in a few days, so I can figure out what we're dealing with. I need to know why your anti-roll bars have failed, before I repair or replace them. Unfortunately, the interior workings of anti-roll bars are so small, that they're difficult to see in a scan, and almost impossible to see in an x-ray. I need to see it for myself to know exactly what is going on."

Jamie nodded sadly. "Guess I can say goodbye to the Championship as well then."

"You mustn't give up. Miracles can happen."

"It'd take an awfully big one to get me back into contention," Jamie sighed despondently.

As Jamie left the team's transporter, he saw Percat waiting for him at the bottom of the ramp.

"Morning, Jamie. How are you feeling today?"

"As well as can be expected, I suppose. And you?"

"Same. I just came to apologise for my comments yesterday. They weren't aimed at you. I was actually talking about Drivinson, but in my anger, it didn't come out that way. But no matter who I was aiming them at, I still shouldn't have said them. I was just furious with being knocked out of the race, and that reporter annoyed me at the wrong moment."

"I understand. Thank you for apologising. Good luck out there today."

"Thanks. You too."

Jamie watched Percat return to his pit garage. After a moment, Jamie headed over to Coulthard's team's pit garage.

"Fabian? Are you there?" Jamie called.

"Yeah," Fabian replied, emerging so he could face Jamie. "What do you want?"

"I've just come to apologise for taking you out of the first race yesterday. It was my fault entirely, but I honestly didn't mean to put us both in the dirt and take you out of the race, so I'm sorry."

Fabian didn't say anything for a moment. Then he sighed. "I guess it would be bad sportsmanship for me to refuse your apology, so I accept it. However, I think you need to pull your bonnet in. You might be a six-time champion, but that doesn't give you the right to push the rest of us out of the way!"

"You're right," Jamie meekly agreed. "But you don't have to worry about me today. I'm not racing."

Jamie turned to leave, but Fabian was quick to stop him.

"Wait! What do you mean, you're not racing? You're not going to pull out, are you? Or are you too badly injured to race?"

"I'll be in the race, but upon my team's doctor's advice, I won't be racing. I'm just in it for the few points I might pick up by finishing. The reason is none of your business. Enjoy the race." And with that, Jamie drove around him, and he headed back to the Redbulldozer Racing pit garage.

Just as Jamie was about to enter the team's pit garage, he saw Kori emerge from it. He smiled warmly when he saw the American reporter.

"Hello, Kori. I'm surprised to see you here, considering Lightning isn't racing."

"My bosses wanted me to spend some more time watching the races, so I can explain the differences between the V8 Supercars and the Piston Cup in a live interview I'm doing later this week," Kori explained.

"Really? I have a bit of time before practice. Would you like me to show you a few things?"

"I'd love that, thank you," Kori smiled, blushing slightly. Jamie pretended not to notice.

…

Following Leyland's orders, Craig and Jamie used their final practice session as a warm-up. Because of that, neither of them did very well overall, but Leyland wasn't concerned.

"Just do your best out there today," he told Craig and Jamie as they prepared for qualifying. Jamie was having his anti-roll bars manually tightened again, in the hope he'd be able to maintain enough speed to qualify well.

"We always do our best, Leyland," Jamie replied despondently.

Leyland gave him a gentle nudge. "Cheer up, Jamie. We'll get you sorted out soon enough. I want to do things a bit differently with you today, so don't be surprised if Davo gives you some unusual orders, understood?"

Jamie nodded indifferently.

"Jamie…" Leyland said warningly.

"Yes, Leyland. I understand."

"Good. Make sure you do as you're told, even if you don't agree with it."

Jamie nodded again.

…

Jamie ended up surprising himself in the qualifying by finishing in twelfth ahead of Craig, who ended up in fifteenth. That helped improve his mood, and he was smiling by the time the racers rolled into their grid positions later that afternoon.

"Okay, Jamie," Davo said over the radio as he guided Jamie onto the grid. "That's good. Stop right there! Excellent!"

Jamie revved his engine. He was eager to make up for all of his mistakes the day before.

"Green flag, mate, green flag."

The lights went out, and Jamie accelerated. This time, he managed to avoid being knocked around, and he was able to get some clear air. However, after only two laps, he received his first order from Davo.

"Come in, Jamie."

With much reluctance, Jamie headed into the pits. Before Jamie could ask why, Davo explained.

"We're just going to give you some fuel. Leyland wants to use the 'splash and dash' technique on you today."

"Okay," Jamie replied as he pulled into the team's pit. The 'splash and dash' technique was often used in endurance races, but rarely in sprints. Often, the racer was brought into the pits within the first five laps, and given a quick top-up of fuel. That could be vital during the final few laps of a race, when other racers were trying to conserve fuel.

Jamie stopped in exactly the right place, was raised up onto the jacks, and the fuel nozzle was connected to his fuel inlet. He felt the refreshingly cold fuel being pumped directly into his fuel tank.

"Five seconds," Davo said.

At the end of five seconds, a stream of fuel shot out of the overflow pipe. The pit crew member in charge of the fuel quickly shut off the fuel flow, and he disconnected the fuel nozzle.

"Clear!" he shouted.

Jamie promptly dropped down off his jacks.

"Right, mate, you're good to go," Davo told him. Unfortunately, as Jamie started to move, he realised that he was in the wrong gear, and he ended up stalling.

"Oops!" he muttered, as he corrected his mistake.

"Yeah, learning how to drive would be fantastic right now," Davo said sarcastically.

Jamie laughed it off as he made his way back out onto the track. He was now well and truly behind the rest of the racers, but he didn't panic. He wasn't supposed to be racing today, but he realised that his orders might change later if things suddenly starting to improve for him. He settled into a comfortable pace, and focused on taking one lap at a time.

By lap nineteen, Craig was leading the race. However, he knew it was only temporary. Sure enough, ten laps later, Craig was called into the pits for fuel and tyres. An old set of soft tyres were bolted onto him, to help him maintain his speed. Just as Craig left the pits, Jamie was called in.

"We're going to try something different with you, Jamie," Davo told him over the radio as Jamie made his way down pit row. "Instead of changing your tyres completely, we're just going to rotate them a quarter of the way around you. Hopefully that should help them last a bit longer."

"Okay…" Jamie replied warily. He'd never had his tyres rotated before. In fact, he'd never heard of it being done on a racer before; certainly not in the V8s.

Jamie stopped in exactly the right spot again, and he was jacked up. His tyres were removed, and the pit crew all rotated themselves in a clockwise direction, each carrying a tyre, which were then bolted back onto him. In the background, Jamie could hear the commentators speculating over the unorthodox move.

"We're just waiting on the fuel now," Davo told Jamie.

"Are you filling me up the whole way?" Jamie asked.

"Yup! Okay, you're clear to go now. Don't stall this time."

Jamie dropped back down onto his tyres, and he headed back out onto the track.

For the next sixteen laps, nothing much happened in the race. Every now and again, a racer would pit for fuel and new tyres, and the lead changed a few times, but it was rather uneventful. But then, Jamie noticed something.

"Davo, I'm going to have to pit for new tyres," he said over the radio. "I can feel some delamination starting."

"Copy that. We were about to bring you in anyway, so we're all ready for you."

"Pitting now," Jamie said as he turned into pit lane.

Within thirty seconds, Jamie had a fresh set of soft tyres bolted on, and his fuel topped up. As he headed back out onto the track, he was pleasantly surprised to be told by Davo that he was now sitting in third place.

"Do you want me to do anything different?" Jamie asked, uncertainly.

There was silence for a moment, but then Davo replied with a very firm, "No."

Jamie pouted. As a racer, his instinct was to race whoever was in front of him, but now he was being ordered to hold back. That was almost asking the impossible. Irritated, Jamie decided to ignore his orders for a while, and just have some fun. Gritting his teeth with determination, he accelerated.

Just a few laps later, Jamie's brief period of fun came to an end. He could feel his tyres delaminating again and, realising that he would not be able to manage another lap with them in that condition, he entered pit lane.

"Jamie, why are you pitting?" Davo asked over the radio. He sounded surprised.

"My tyres at delaminating again."

"You're kidding?" Davo exclaimed in disbelief. "They can't be! Those tyres are brand new!"

Jamie bit his tongue – literally. He wasn't in the mood for arguing with his crew chief.

The pit crew were still scurrying around outside the pit garage, laying out their equipment, as Jamie approached. They finished just as Jamie stopped in the pit bay.

"We're putting hard tyres on you, Jamie," Dutto explained calmly, cutting off Davo's furious rant. "I'm afraid you've gone through all the soft tyres you had in your bank. Don't worry. We'll launch an investigation into why your tyres have delaminated so quickly. Take a deep breath, and focus on finishing the race in one piece."

Jamie had to chuckle in spite of himself. That was one thing he missed about having Dutto as his crew chief. Dutto understood Jamie perfectly, and he knew just how to keep him calm whenever he was feeling upset.

"Thanks, Dutto," Jamie said appreciatively once he'd taken a few deep breaths.

"Okay, you're good to go now," Dutto told him.

Jamie returned to the racetrack, feeling confident that he'd be able to at least finish the race. A couple of laps later, Jamie heard the racing director, Tim Schenken's, voice on the radio.

"Attention all racers. Be advised that several racers are struggling with tyre delamination."

Jamie heard a bit of static as Tim switched off his radio. While it was rare for the racing director to communicate directly with the racers over the radio, they'd all been drilled in what to do in such circumstances.

Following racing procedures, Jamie said to Davo, "Davo, please let racing control know that I've heard and understood their warning about the tyre delamination, over."

"Copy that," Davo replied.

And that was that. Having acknowledged Tim's message, Jamie returned his attention back to the race.

Meanwhile, a few places ahead of Jamie, Craig was having his own struggles. Something weird was going on with his electrical system. The lights on his dash panel kept flickering, and during his acknowledgment of Tim's warning, he'd found that his radio wasn't working properly. It had taken him four times to get his message through to Grant, who didn't seem to be having any problems at his end.

"Craig…ds…art…erving…ul," was all Craig could make out from the last message Grant was saying.

"Grant, I can't understand you. There's something wrong with the radio. And my electrics are going crazy!"

"…orking on…ow…Cons…"

Craig shook his front. This was impossible!

"Sorry, Grant, but I can't understand you at all. I'm going to have to switch off my radio. I know this sounds stupid, but I think it's interfering with my electrical system somehow."

Inside the Redbulldozer Racing pit garage, Leyland bit his bottom lip after hearing Craig's final message. He didn't like the idea of not having any radio communication with any of his racers. A few seconds later, Craig's radio turned to static. Grant glanced desperately up at Dutto and Leyland.

"What do we do now?" he asked anxiously. "I've lost all of his telemetry as well! There must be a fault with his computer. We need to tell him that he has to conserve fuel, or he won't finish the race!"

Dutto put down his clipboard. "We'll go old-school," he replied simply. He turned to one of the pit crew guys. "Set up a message board for Craig."

"Sure, Dutto. What should it say?"

"You need to conserve fuel?" Grant suggested.

"No, that's too long," Leyland frowned.

"Fuel trim lap," Dutto said decisively. "He'll be reading it at about two hundred kilometres an hour, so put one word on each line and centre it. Oh, and don't forget to put triple eight at the top, so Craig knows the message is for him. Think you can manage that?"

The forklift nodded, and he hurried over to the corner of the garage where the message boards were kept. Even though he'd never set up one before, he seemed to have a rough idea of how to do it.

While the message board was being arranged, Dutto got in contact with race control. "Just thought I'd let you know that we've lost all radio communication with racer triple eight, Craig Louds. We'll be communicating with him via message board for the rest of the race."

"Copy that. Thanks for letting us know."

As soon as the message board was ready, it was passed to Grant. After darting across pit row, Grant stood behind the safety fence to wait for Craig to come racing past. He only hoped that he wouldn't drop the message board as he slipped it through a gap in the fence. Craig came racing around the final corner, and for a moment Grant was afraid he may not see the message board. However, he was relieved to see Craig's eyes dart to the right just long enough for him to read the message board. Once Craig had gone racing past, Grant returned inside the pit garage with the message board.

Despite the bit of on-track drama towards the end of the race, Craig ended up finishing in fifteenth, while Jamie finished in twenty-second place. Leyland didn't look terribly pleased when they returned to the team's pit garage, but for once, he didn't say anything.

"Right, Craig," Dutto said once Craig had come to a stop. "Let's take a look at your electrical system. Do you hurt anywhere?"

"No, which is what makes it so weird," Craig replied.

"It can't be your computer than."

As soon as Craig's bonnet had been raised, Dr Andrews drove over. "I'd like to test his battery. It might be going flat."

Sure enough, it turned out that Craig's battery was almost dead. Unlike an engine replacement, changing a car's battery was an easy procedure that could be carried out anywhere after the car had been given a local anaesthetic. However, if the battery went completely dead, the car could die within about two hours. Without an engine, a car would die within about ten minutes.

Dr Andrews quickly prepared an injection of local anaesthetic for Craig. Because Craig's battery almost dead, and with the adrenalin leaving his system, Craig was already starting to feel drowsy, so he barely even felt the needle go into one of the cables connected to his battery.

"Craig?" Dutto prompted. "Stay with us, mate. You'll be okay. How are you feeling?"

"Exhausted," Craig murmured.

"I'm going to start installing the new battery now," Dr Andrews said. "Stand back, everyone, please. I need to be able to see what I'm doing."

Within minutes, Dr Andrews had a new battery installed in Craig's engine bay.

"How does that feel?" he asked kindly.

"Much better, thank you," Craig replied, smiling as he became more alert. He turned on his engine, and his electrical system came back to life. Craig turned his radio back on. "Shippy? Can you hear me?"

"Yeah," Grant replied, speaking into his microphone. "Can you hear me?"

"Yup! I think we've solved the problem. Thanks guys."

"One down, one to go," Leyland muttered to Dutto.

Dutto nodded, fully understanding what Leyland what talking about. He only hoped they could fix Jamie's problem before it was too late.


	39. Chapter 39 - Shocking News

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 39 – Shocking News

 **Lightning and Sally's Mansion, Rochedale, 17 kms south of Brisbane – Monday, 6 July, 2015**

"Mmm…" Lightning moaned contently in his sleep. He was snuggled up beside Sally, enjoying the warmth of her body heat. While it was warm inside the mansion, outside it was barely five degrees (Celsius).

The bedroom fell silent again. All of a sudden, Lightning's phone rang, making both of the sleeping cars jump awake.

"Oh! Who on earth would be ringing us at this hour?" Sally wondered in disbelief, while Lightning fumbled groggily for his phone. Seeing that it was Leyland, he tried to wake up.

"Morning, Leyland!" Lightning said, trying to sound more awake than he felt.

"Morning, Lightning. I'm sorry to be ringing so early, but I figured you'd already be up."

 _You don't know me as well as you might think then_ , Lightning thought, annoyed. He glanced at Sally, who was pulling the blankets tighter around herself.

"What's up?" Lightning asked, as he attempted to stifle a yawn.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm calling a team meeting at exactly nine a.m., so don't be late."

"Have I ever been late to training?"

"Once. And before you ask, yes, I do keep a record. See you in a few hours."

Lightning frowned as Leyland hung up on him.

"What was all that about?" Sally wondered.

"Work. Oh, what's the time?"

Sally glanced at the clock. "Just after six. We may as well go back to sleep for another hour or so."

"Yeah," Lightning agreed, and they snuggled down again.

…

At 8:15, Lightning left the house. He paused for a moment just outside the front door, taking in the magnificence of the property that Leyland had given to him and Sally for their wedding. In the middle of the gravel driveway outside the front door was a fountain. Off to the right, the driveway went in a dead straight line for almost a kilometre until it reached the main road. Lightning grinned. Lately, he'd found that the driveway was the perfect place for him to practice his racing starts. He drove over to the start of the straight.

Closing his eyes, Lightning visualised himself on the starting grid at a race. "Speed. I. Am. Speed!" He revved his engine several times. Then, opening his eyes, he floored it. His rear wheels churned up the gravel as he took off, but he didn't care. He was getting much more consistent with his starts. He only hoped Leyland would notice.

Half an hour later, Lightning arrived at the team's headquarters. After being away for over a month, he was glad to be able to get back into training with his teammates again. The Townsville races were that weekend, and he wanted to ensure he was one hundred percent fit for them after his break.

"Morning, Susan!" Lightning said, greeting the receptionist as he entered the building. "Hey, what room is this team meeting being held in?"

"The main meeting room," Susan replied. "I'll let Leyland know you've arrived."

"Thanks."

Lightning drove over to the main meeting room. About half of the team were already in there, including Dutto, who was busy sorting through some paperwork. Lightning drove over to him.

"Morning, Dutto. What's this meeting all about?"

"Townsville. There's been some last minute changes to the team that Leyland wants to ensure everyone knows about. And before you ask, they do concern you."

"Oh."

"How are you after your honeymoon anyway? You're looking very refreshed."

"I am, thank you. As you can see, I had my repaint last week. Pity. The media had trouble recognising me in my wedding paintjob."

Dutto chuckled. "Never mind. Here comes Leyland."

Lightning looked around in time to see Leyland enter the room. "Good morning, everyone."

"Morning, Leyland," the team muttered.

"That's a very enthusiastic reception this morning," Leyland said sarcastically. "I'd ask you to try that again, but we have a lot to go through this morning. First off, is everyone here yet?"

"Craig and Jamie aren't," Lightning answered.

"Jamie's not coming in today," Leyland said. "That's one reason why I've called this meeting. As for Craig-"

"I'm here, Leyland!" Craig shouted as he burst into the room. Panting heavily, he glanced up at the clock. "Five minutes to spare! I just hope I didn't get picked up on any of the radar units."

Quiet chuckle greeted this. Leyland frowned sternly.

"You'll be paying any fines you incur."

"I know, Leyland," Craig said as he parked beside Lightning. "Hey, where's Jamie?"

"Okay, before anyone else asks 'where's Jamie?'. I'll tell you. Yesterday, Jamie underwent some minor surgery to determine the cause of his anti-roll bar failure. He is spending today recovering in the Royal Brisbane hospital. Since he lives alone, he'll be staying with me for a few days once he's released from hospital, just to ensure he recovers properly. As I said, it was only minor surgery, but knowing how sensitive you racers are to medical procedures, we're not taking any chances with him." Leyland paused to take a quick drink.

"Do you know the results yet?" Craig asked.

Leyland shook his front. "Doctor Andrews is still going through the photos he took. It'll be at least a few days until we know for sure what's going on. In the meantime, Jamie will continue racing, but he will struggle a lot, since he won't be able to use his anti-roll bars much."

"When will we be able to visit him?" Lightning wondered.

"He'll be back here tomorrow, but he'll be restricted to light training until we get to Townsville on Wednesday," Leyland replied. "And that brings me to my next point. I'm afraid it's that time of year again – cold and flu season. Since we can't afford for anyone to fall ill, you'll all receive your annual flu vaccinations today."

A collective groan arose from everyone in the room. Leyland held up a tyre.

"This includes me as well, guys. Doctor Andrews will ensure nobody leaves here today without receiving their vaccination." He looked straight at Craig and Lightning. "And since any illness will attack you two twice as hard, you will both be done first."

Grimacing, Lightning and Craig glanced at each other.

"I hate needles," Lightning muttered.

"Join the club," Craig agreed.

"And now for my third point," Leyland continued, ignoring them. "We have a little problem for Townsville. Davo will, unfortunately, be unable to make it there, owing to personal, family reasons, so after consulting with Dutto and Grant, we've decided that Dutto will be Jamie's crew chief at Townsville, and I'll assume the role of team manager."

"What about me?" Lightning blurted out.

Leyland smirked. "I'll be your crew chief for the Townsville races."

Lightning paled. Craig leaned over,

"Lucky you!" he whispered.

Lightning couldn't believe it! Leyland as crew chief? As far as he knew, Leyland had never been a crew chief before in his life! It wasn't something you could just do.

As if he'd read Lightning's mind, Leyland tried to reassure him. "Don't worry. Grant and Dutto have already starting teaching me, and Dutto will be there to keep an eye on things. He'll step in if he has too."

Lightning breathed a small sigh of relief. But still, the idea of having his boss being his crew chief was a scary one.

"Right, well, I think that's everything we needed to discuss this morning," Leyland said. "Thanks for coming. Craig and Lightning? Doctor Andrews will see you now."

With much reluctance, Craig and Lightning headed to Dr Andrews' office. Since they took their time getting there, Dr Andrews beat them. He had the vaccines all ready for them when they arrived.

"You know, for racers, you two can be pretty slow when you want to be," Dr Andrews teased. "Right, who's going first?"

Craig and Lightning spoke in unison. "Craig." "Lightning."

Dr Andrews laughed. "How about I toss a coin?"

"That's fair," Craig agreed.

Dr Andrews placed a coin on the centre of his bonnet. "Winner gets to decide who goes first. Heads or tails, Lightning?"

"Tails."

The coin was tossed up into the air. It handed directly in front of Craig. After it had stopped spinning, Dr Andrews read it.

"Heads. You win, Craig."

"Damn!" Lightning muttered.

"All right, Lightning," Dr Andrews said. "Pop your bonnet. And Craig? You stay right where I can see you."

Both racers did as they were told. Even though Lightning had his bonnet up, he closed his eyes as Dr Andrews approached him with the needle. There was silence for a moment, while Dr Andrews considered which oil line to use. He frowned when he saw all the old scarring on one of Lightning's oil lines. Shaking his front a little, Dr Andrews selected an oil line that was completely unblemished. He knew it would hurt less to use the scarred oil line, but that much scarring could lessen the impact of the vaccine, and he couldn't risk that.

"Ow!" Lightning exclaimed when Dr Andrews stuck the needle in him. "Oh, man! That really hurts!"

"Sorry." Dr Andrews apologised as he removed the needle. "There you go. All done now. I'll just seal the oil line to stop the bleeding."

After Dr Andrews had finished sealing the oil line, he closed Lightning's bonnet, ensuring the bonnet clips were in place. Lightning had gone very quiet.

"Lightning? Are you feeling okay there, mate?"

"Yeah," Lightning replied. "I just can't believe how much that hurt!"

Dr Andrews smiled sympathetically. "Sorry about that. Why don't you go and get a small drink before you start your training? That'll help you recover."

Nodding, Lightning left the office. Sure enough, he felt much better after the drink, and so he headed upstairs to Leyland's office. Since Leyland would be his crew chief that weekend, he knew it was only fair to ask him about what kind of training he was to do that day.

But as Lightning approached Leyland's office, he noticed that the door was slightly ajar. That was very unusual. Lightning was just about to knock, when he heard voices coming from inside. They belonged to Leyland and Dutto.

"Are you quite sure you'll be able to handle Lightning this weekend? He can be quite a wheel-full, you know."

"Don't worry, Dutto. I'm sure we'll be fine. Besides, Lightning has enough talent to not need a crew chief to win. Just don't tell him I ever said that!"

"I won't, because I know he won't agree with you. Ten years ago, he would have, but not now."

The phone rang then, and Leyland answered it. "Hello? Jamie! How are you feeling? That's good. What? Are you sure? Okay, thanks. We'll put it on now."

"What's up?" Dutto asked as Leyland hung up the phone.

"Jamie just said there's been an accident in the Piston Cup. He saw it on the morning news; channel nine."

Lightning crept forwards in time to see Leyland switch on the TV. From where he was standing, he could clearly see the screen. A news reporter was speaking.

"In breaking news out of America this morning, we're receiving reports that Piston Cup racer, James Jones, better known to his friends as Jimmy, has been killed in a horrific accident at Daytona International Speedway. Video footage has now emerged showing the moment the accident happened. We're going to cross over to our R.S.N. reporter in Daytona now. And a warning, some of the footage in this story may distress some viewers."

Lightning kept his eyes fixed on the screen as footage of the accident began to play. It was the final lap of the race, and he could see that Junior had the lead. Jimmy, painted up in the same Rust-Eze red paintjob he'd had, was in about seventh place, on the inside. Just as Junior crossed the finish line to win, the accident happened. All Lightning could see was smoke and flames. To the left of the screen, he saw a racer hit the safety fence, but in the carnage, he couldn't see who it was. He felt a knot form in his tank when he realised it must have been Jimmy. The footage focused on the rest of the racers, who had scattered around in the infield. Very few of them were without an injury of some kind, but fortunately most appeared to be okay.

The footage returned to show white screens being put up around one of the racers. Medical staff had gathered around the unfortunate racer. Lightning was completely frozen in place. While he didn't want to watch, he found that he couldn't look away. Since he was in shock, he didn't hear the commentary coming from the TV. Some of the spectators had been injured when Jimmy had crashed into the fence, and they were being attended to by more medical staff.

Having seen enough, Leyland switched off the TV. Silence lingered for a moment, but then Leyland said solemnly. "Well, at least they didn't show anything graphic. Of course, it's terrible for everyone who saw it happen though. I sure hope those who were injured are okay. I feel sorry for Jimmy's family. And the team…"

"We'd better not let Lightning see this," Dutto said quietly. "Not yet, anyway. He'll probably see it on the news tonight, but until then, we need to keep his focus on training."

"Too late," Lightning said quietly from the doorway. Leyland and Dutto slowly turned to face him.

"How long have you been standing there?" Leyland asked.

"Long enough. I came to ask you about my training schedule today, but uh… The door was open…"

Leyland exhaled deeply. "So, you know. I'm sorry."

Lightning shook his front. "You have nothing to apologise for. These things just happen. That's racing. Thanks for trying to shield me, Dutto. Maybe it'll sink in later, but right now I need to train. What do you want me to do?"

…

By lunchtime, everyone at Redbulldozer Racing knew about the tragic Piston Cup accident. After he'd eaten, Lightning hid himself inside one of the meeting rooms, to watch replays of the accident that had already been uploaded online. Some of it was footage taken by spectators, but most of it was official footage. He was glad that whoever had uploaded the footage had had the sensitivity to blur out Jimmy after he'd hit the safety fence. At first, Lightning couldn't believe Jimmy was actually dead, but after seeing the accident in slow motion, he knew it was true. Nobody could survive an accident like that. Jimmy had been flipped up into the air, going clear over two rows of cars before hitting the safety fence, which seemed to slice him into a million pieces. After that, his remains went flying back across the track, injuring more racers. Jimmy's engine could also be seen flying off towards the infield, despite the fact that it too had been blurred.

Lightning paused the video, and he stared down at the desk in front of him. He felt sick when he realised that Jimmy's last conscious thought must have been when he'd hit the fence. He could only hope that Jimmy hadn't felt anything in his final moment.

Feeling completely overwhelmed, Lightning broke down in tears. It had suddenly dawned on him that it could very easily have been himself in that accident. The thought of Sally being left a widow upset him the most. This was why he'd been reluctant to marry her until he'd been sure she could cope without him if he did end up dying in a race.

Unable to stop all the negative thoughts racing through his mind, Lightning began hyperventilating and trembling. He knew he was going into shock, but he couldn't stop it. Vague memories of his own accident earlier that year began to surface. Strangely, he suddenly realised he was remembering some things he hadn't been able to remember before. In his mind's eye, he could see the racetrack lit up by his headlights, and Francesco racing just ahead of him, but then the memory ended.

Shocked, Lightning jumped. "Whoa!" he whispered to himself. The shock of remembering something he thought he'd forgotten was enough to jolt him out of the shock he'd had after watching Jimmy's accident. For a moment, he concentrated on taking deep breaths to help calm himself down. Then he closed the laptop.

 _I can't let this get to me,_ he thought. _Just concentrate racing. I have to win this weekend. Speed. I. Am… Poor Jimmy. I can't believe- No, Lightning! Focus on the race! Focus! I am speed! I can get through this. I have to…_

 _Knock! Knock!_

"Come in," Lightning said. Leyland drove into the room.

"Hey. Are you okay? You didn't stick around to chat after lunch."

"I just needed some time to myself."

Turning the laptop towards him, Leyland opened it. The screen showed the paused video of the Piston Cup accident. Leyland frowned with concern.

"I think you should discuss this with Doctor Andrews. He's a sport's psychiatrist as well as being a G.P."

"I think I'll do that, thanks," Lightning whispered. "You know, I still can't believe it."

"I know. It's been a shock for everyone in the racing industry. We all know and understand the dangers, but even so, accidents like this just shouldn't happen. Oh, um, I came looking for you, because I had a phone call from Strip Weathers." He paused when Lightning looked up at him, clearly surprised. "He's going to be attending the Townsville races with a few other officials, because they want to investigate the type of safety fencing we use in the V8 Supercars."

"So, they believe the impact with the safety fence killed Jimmy?"

Leyland nodded solemnly. "Is that the conclusion you reached?

"Yes." Lightning exhaled deeply. "I must admit, I've never liked the safety fences they use in the Piston Cup. They'll slice you in hal…" He let the word linger. After a few seconds of silence, he said, "I think I'll go and see Dr Andrews now. At least I know that this time he won't stick a needle in me!"

A/N – The accident at Daytona is based on the events that occurred during the NASCAR Coke Zero 400 on the 5th July, 2015.

 **Please, don't forget to review! I really appreciate all feedback.**


	40. Chapter 40 - Day 1 at Townsville

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 40 – Day 1 at the Townsville 400

 **Townsville 400, Day 1 – Townsville Street Circuit, Townsville, Queensland – Friday, 10 July, 2015**

Lightning listened attentively to the interaction going on over the radio between his teammates and their crew chiefs. Craig and Jamie were undergoing their first practice on the tight street circuit, but like the rest of the team, their racing reflected the team's overall melancholy mood. With Jimmy's tragic death occurring only five days earlier, it was extremely difficult for any of them to concentrate on the task in front of them.

The road trip north to Townsville had been very sombre for the three racers. Even though Lightning had been undergoing counselling sessions with Dr Andrews every single day since learning of Jimmy's death, he'd become withdrawn and uninterested in what was going on around him. Craig and Jamie had done their best to cheer him up, but Sally had reminded them just that morning that Lightning had suffered a shock, and he needed time to recover from it.

Leyland glanced up from the computer he was monitoring to look at Lightning. He was also very concerned about his newest champion racer. Lightning had insisted on wearing black rear-view mirrors this weekend as a mark of respect for Jimmy, and nobody had discouraged him. Even Craig and Jamie had asked to wear them. Now, the entire team was wearing black rear-view mirrors.

Hearing someone enter the garage behind them, Leyland turned around. He smiled a little when he recognised another one of America's Piston Cup Champions, Strip Weathers. Leyland drove over to the blue Plymouth Superbird. After exchanging greetings, they both looked at Lightning.

"Poor kid," Strip sympathised. "How has he taken it?"

"Badly. He's been in a state of shock for most of the week. Hopefully, getting him out on the racetrack will help."

Dr Andrews joined them. "I had another session with Lightning this morning. His nightmares have stopped for the time being, so he was able to get a decent sleep last night. I'm glad, because I can't give him anything to help him sleep. Narcotics are illegal for racers."

"Nightmares?" Strip asked, concerned.

Leyland exhaled deeply. "Don't worry about it. Sorry, this practice session is about to end, and I need to take control. You can stay and watch Lightning practice if you like, Strip."

"Thanks. I think I will."

Leyland drove over to Lightning, and he gently nudged his side. "You ready to race?"

"It's just practice, Leyland," Lightning replied quietly as Dutto helped him remove his headset.

"I know. Guess I'm just nervous, because I don't want to be responsible for messing you up."

Lightning cast him a small smile. It was the first time Leyland had seen him smile since learning about Jimmy's death. "You won't. At least, I can't imagine you being anywhere near as bad as what Mater was!"

Leyland had to laugh. "Knowing Mater, I won't ask how that went! Okay. Let's do this. Dutto? You're on standby for me."

"I'm ready when you are."

Craig and Jamie arrived back at the team's pit garage then.

"How's the track?" Lightning asked Craig.

"Oily. Don't try breaking any records yet, speedster. What times did we do?"

Grant turned to face them. "You placed seventeenth with a one minute fourteen point seven-seven-eight-three. Jamie came in nineteenth with a one minute fourteen point eight-oh-oh-eight."

"So, I need to be aiming for around the one minute fourteen second mark," Lightning said thoughtfully.

Hearing the air horn sound outside, Lightning left the pit garage. Strip smiled when he heard the familiar sound of Lightning revving his engine in nervous anticipation. Having not yet seen Lightning race on such a tight street circuit before, he was keen to see just how well the current reigning Piston Cup Champion would go.

Driving over to the computer screens, Strip studied them closely. He was surprised to see just how complex the whole system was. It reminded him a lot of the setup for Formula 1 racing. Two of the screens showed footage from different points around the racetrack, one showed what was being aired live on TV, another one displayed Lightning's on-board cameras, while the final two screens showed Lightning's telemetry.

"Can you hear me, Speedster?" Leyland asked over the radio. There was nothing but static for a moment, but then Lightning answered despondently.

"Yeah, I can hear you, Leyland."

"Good. Okay, pit lane exit is open. You're good to go."

"Copy that." _This will be interesting_ , Lightning thought as he accelerated onto the track. In an instant, he'd pushed all of his melancholy thoughts to the back of his mind, and he began concerntrating on the task at hand.

To Lightning's surprise, Leyland was a natural at being a crew chief. He didn't over-complicate things by talking too much, while at the same time he told Lightning exactly what he needed to know at the right moment.

"You've done this before, haven't you, Leyland?" Lightning accused as he was returning to the pits after the practice session.

Leyland chuckled over the radio. "This is how I started in racing," he teased. "What? Did you think I'd muck you up? Oh, and guess what, Speedster? You've got the fastest time! Well done."

"Thanks," Lightning muttered. "What was my time?"

"One minute fifteen point four-eight-four-six."

"Oh. I was aiming for one-fourteen."

Leyland exhaled deeply. "Don't push yourself, kid. It's early days yet. Save yourself for the race tomorrow."

Upon entering the team's pit garage, Lightning hesitated momentarily when he saw Strip talking to Dutto. He hadn't noticed Strip's arrival before, but he wasn't too surprised to see him hanging around in the pits.

"Hi Strip," Lightning said, greeting the retired racer.

"Hey, Lightning!" Strip replied, grinning broadly. "I saw your practice. You looked pretty good out there."

"Thanks. I've still got a lot to work on though."

"It looked perfect from where I was parked."

Dutto interrupted. "Lightning? Drink." And he pointed towards the bar fridge.

"Sorry, Strip. Dutto seems to think he's everyone's personal nutritionist." Before Dutto could retaliate, Lightning zipped over to the fridge to get his drink. Once he'd taken one of his formulated drinks out of the fridge, he took it over to where Craig and Jamie were talking.

"Craig? Sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if you could help me with turn one, please?"

"That's easy. Treat it just like turn eight at the Adelaide Street Circuit," Craig replied.

"Ahh! Gotcha! Thanks."

"How come you never ask me for advice?" Jamie whinged.

"You weren't mentored by Peter Brock," Lightning replied seriously. He looked back at Craig. "I've been comparing Doc's records with Brock's, and I must say, I was rather surprised to find that they were both fairly even when it came to their results. Admittedly, Doc only raced in the Piston Cup, while Brock raced in four different racing codes, from the V8s to rallying, but-" Lightning stopped talking when he saw Craig wince. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"Brock died in a rally race," Jamie gently reminded him.

"Oh, Craig! I'm so sorry! I completely forgot!"

"It's okay, Speedster," Craig sighed. "Let's just focus on what we came here to do. It'll be a good weekend if at least one of us gets up onto that podium."

Lightning nodded solemnly.

…

Later, during the on-track entertainment, Lightning saw Strip and the other Piston Cup officials he'd brought with him, inspecting the pit lane safety fences along with the V8 Supercars Championship Series racing director, Tim Schenken, and the Development Series racing director, Michael Masi. Lightning drove as close as possible to them without being noticed, so he could listen to what they were saying. Strip was speaking.

"…fence did its job in stopping Jimmy from crashing straight into the crowd, but at the end of the day, the fence shouldn't have killed Jimmy. It's our responsibility is to keep both the crowd and our racers safe."

"That's why we prefer to use these types of fences," Tim said. "The concrete blocks are designed to take impacts over a hundred Gs, while the mesh is completely welded together to prevent the slicing that you showed us in Jimmy's tragic accident. I have quite a bit of footage I can show you of racers colliding with these fences. Only once have I seen an impact large enough to actually move one of these concrete blocks."

"What happens to the mesh if an airborne racer hits it?" one of the other Piston Cup officials asked.

"Usually, the mesh will just bend," Michael answered. "Bear in mind that our racers rarely exceed two hundred and fifty kilometres an hour, and they're often going around tight corners when crashes occur. I think the fastest crash into a safety fence was around two hundred and seventy-five kilometres an hour."

Lightning's eyes widened in surprise. Quickly doing the maths in his mind, he guessed that to be around a hundred and seventy miles an hour – almost as fast as most of the Piston Cup crashes he'd witnessed. No wonder Strip was so keen to know what type of safety fencing was used in the V8 Supercars! If they'd been proven to be able to withstand high-impact crashes, it'd be worth trying them in the Piston Cup. Turning, he drove back to the Redbulldozer team garage.

…

Craig and Jamie both improved during their second and third practice sessions. While Lightning waited for the second practice session for the Development Series racers, he enjoyed a relaxing physiotherapy session with Dr Anderson, followed by another private talk with Dr Andrews.

"I still can't quite believe he's really gone," Lightning confessed to the team's doctor. "Since I wasn't there, this just doesn't seem real, you know?"

"How do you think you might have reacted if you had been there?" Dr Andrews asked kindly.

"I-I'm not really sure. I can't imagine how the others are feeling right now though."

"Have you spoken to any of them since the accident?"

"I tried calling Junior on Tuesday morning, but he didn't answer."

"He's probably still in shock. How about your former bosses, Rusty and Dusty?"

Lightning shook his front. "I haven't heard from them. Harv phoned on Wednesday, to see if I'd heard about Jimmy's death, but he was busy, so we couldn't talk for very long. I thought of calling Mack, but I haven't had time…"

"I see. How do you feel about Strip Weathers being here?"

Lightning shrugged. "It's good to see him again, but every time I look at him, I'm reminded of how he ended his last race. I know how dangerous racing is, but that's why I love it."

"Jimmy loved to race too, didn't he?"

"Of course! We wouldn't do it if we didn't love it!"

"Then, you know he died doing something that he loved. That is something you can take comfort in."

Lightning looked down at the floor. "It could so easily have been me…"

"And does that make you scared to race?"

"Strangely, no. But I am scared of what it would do to Sally if I ever died during a race. She'd be left on her own."

"Does she want to have children?"

"Yes. She mentions it almost every day now."

"I see. And do you want to have children?"

"Not yet, because if something did happen to me, she'd have to raise them on her own."

"And, you don't think she'd be happy doing that?"

"Who'd want to be a single parent? It'd be too much for her."

"Really? And how do you think you'd feel if you did die, and you had no heir?"

Lightning looked up in surprise.

"You really should think about having a baby built now," Dr Andrews continued. "If you did die in a racing accident, think about how much joy that baby would be to Sally. It'd be a living reminder of you – something she could give her love to, rather than wallowing in self-pity for the rest of her life. Do you see what I'm saying?"

Lightning nodded thoughtfully.

…

When Lightning left the Redbulldozer Racing transporter a few minutes later, he was surprised to see Jamie's rear end poking out from around the corner of the transporter. Driving closer, he heard someone giggle.

"Oh, Jamie! You're so naughty!"

"Really? Who told you that?"

"The President of the United States," the woman quipped. "He announced it on T.V. Oohh! Jamie! Please, don't touch me there!"

Lightning froze when he finally recognised the woman's voice. It was Kori! Before he could make up his mind as to whether or not he should break them up, someone coughed behind him. Turning, Lightning saw Strip.

"Hey."

"Hi again. Can we talk, please, Lightnin'?"

"Ahhh…" Lightning glanced back at what he could see of Jamie. To his relief, he saw Kori driving away, with Jamie chasing after her. But before Jamie could get very far, Dutto started shouting for him to go and have some lunch. Lightning turned back to face Strip. "Sure."

"Not here. Is there anyone in the transporter?"

"Only Doctor Andrews. We can talk in front of him. He won't tell anyone."

Back inside the transporter, Lightning turned to face Strip. Dr Andrews was filling out some medical reports in the next room.

"What's up?" Lightning asked.

"I have a proposition for you. Ever since you left the Piston Cup, and started racing here in Australia, attendance numbers to Piston Cup races have been rather low. We're not sure why, but many feel that it's partially because of the scandal last year, and partially because you're no longer racing in the series. The accident earlier this week sure won't help things either. Anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to come back for just one race. It'll help make people realise that you haven't completely turned your back on the Piston Cup. I can easily put you in as a wild-card entry. What d'ya say?"

Lightning frowned thoughtfully. "It'd have to be at a time when I have a reasonable break between races," he mused. "Have you discussed this with Leyland?"

"Not yet. I thought I'd see if you're interested before I asked him."

Strip stared pleadingly at Lightning. Lightning sighed.

"I've undergone a lot of modifications to enable me to race in the V8 Supercars, Strip. Changing racing codes isn't as easy as it sounds. I know I've made it look easy, but I'm mostly racing against rookies in the Development Series. My only real threat is Paul, and he's a racing veteran. If I do race in one Piston Cup race, I'll have to have my modifications either removed or disabled, and then I'll still have to pass the medical checks and everything."

"It sounds like you don't want to come back to the Piston Cup," Strip said sadly.

"Hey, don't pressure the kid," Dr Andrews said from the next room. "Mr Weathers, Lightning has a lot to deal with right now, and he doesn't need you pressuring him into making an immediate decision. Let him think about it for a while, so he can have a chance to discuss your offer with the rest of the team, and his wife."

Strip sighed. "You're right. Sorry, Lightning. I was prepared for you to jump at my suggestion. Like most people, I thought you'd left the Piston Cup because of the scandal."

"Is that what most people think?" Lightning asked. Strip nodded. Lightning sighed. "The scandal had nothing to do with my decision to race here. Leyland was going to offer the contract to me anyway. I saw a chance to make a change in my life, and to start a new adventure, so I took it. I don't want everyone to always think of me as just a Piston Cup Champion. I want to prove that I can do more than just race around in circles. That's also why I went to the world Grand Prix; to prove that I can be a champion in other forms of racing. I know it isn't easy, but it's not worth trying if it's easy."

"And what happens if you fail?" Strip wondered.

"I won't fail," Lightning said seriously, "because if I'm giving my absolute best in whatever I do, I've won. I may not receive a trophy or prize money, but sometimes a personal best result is just as good as being on the top step of the podium."

 **Hi everyone! So sorry about the delay in updating, but I've been very busy with my final uni exams. The great news is that, providing I pass everything, I've now completed my Bachelor of Arts majoring in Creative Writing!**

 **Thank you so much for your reviews. Please keep them coming! I'll try to update faster now that I'm on holidays.**


	41. Chapter 41 - Day 2 at Townsville

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 41 – Day 2 at the Townsville 400

 **Townsville 400, Day 2 – Townsville Street Circuit, Townsville, Queensland – Saturday, 11 July, 2015**

"Morning, Dutto," Lightning said as he entered the team's pit garage early the next morning.

Surprised, Dutto glanced at his watch. "Lightning? What are you doing here so early? You don't need to be here until nine-thirty!"

"Yeah, well, I didn't sleep very well again last night," Lightning sighed before driving over to the bar fridge.

"More nightmares?"

Lightning nodded as he removed one of his drinks. "It was the same one I had on Monday night. The one where, instead of Jimmy, I was the one in that wreck." He exhaled deeply. "What do you think is wrong with me?"

"Nothing. You've had a shock, and your brain's just trying to process it all."

Lightning nodded. "That's what Doctor Andrews said."

Dutto cast him a sympathetic smile. "Perhaps you should talk to Craig. He had a similar reaction after Peter Brock's death."

"Thanks. I think I will. In the meantime, I'm going to go and grab some breakfast." Taking his drink with him, Lightning left the pit garage.

Inside the cafeteria tent, Lightning joined Craig and Jamie after he'd selected his breakfast. They were already eating theirs.

"Hitting the protein oil early, huh, Speedster?" Jamie teased.

"I didn't sleep well last night," Lightning replied. "Hopefully, the protein will help."

"You've been listening to Dutto too much."

"As long as it works, I don't care."

"Hey, look," Craig said, nodding to his left. "Leyland and Strip seem to be having a pretty serious conversation over there."

Lightning glanced behind him. Sure enough, Leyland and Strip were talking intently with each other at another table. Sighing heavily, he turned back to face Craig and Jamie. "They're probably talking about me. Strip wants me to return to the Piston Cup later this year, as a wildcard entry in just one race."

"Would you like to go?" Craig asked.

Lightning shrugged. "Dunno. It's strange, you know, but I don't really miss racing in the Piston Cup. This is much more exciting for me now! And speaking of excitement, Jamie… I saw you with Kori yesterday. What's going on?"

Jamie froze, eyes wide. "Nothing! We were just, ah… you know… talking."

"Oh. Talking, huh? From what I heard, it sounded like you were groping her undercarriage."

Craig, who'd been having a drink, coughed and spluttered violently. Lightning quickly gave him a hard slap on the side with his tyre, to help him clear his air intake. "Thanks!" Craig finally gasped once he was able to breathe again. "In future, can we please keep our breakfast conversations 'G' rated?"

"I'll second that," Jamie muttered, blushing profusely.

"Okay," Lightning agreed. "Seriously though, what is going on between you and Kori?"

Jamie exhaled deeply. "We've just started dating, okay? Now leave me alone!" And with that, he stormed away, taking what was left of his breakfast with him.

"Hmm…" Lightning mused. "So that's how you push Jamie's buttons. It seems that racing's most eligable bachelor isn't as single as he once was. I hope Kori knows what she's doing."

"Lightning…?" Craig said in a pained voice, owing to the fact that his air intake still hurt. "Just leave well enough alone, okay?"

"Why?"

"I don't want you to interfere in Jamie's romantic life."

Lightning raised his eyelids in mock surprise. "He actually has one?"

Annoyed, Craig pushed what was left of his breakfast away. "I have another practice round soon. See you later."

Lightning frowned as Craig also drove away. But before he could leave as well, Time Edwards and Rusty French parked on either side of him.

"Hi, Lightning," Tim said cheerfully. "I know it's been a while since we last spoke. Have you had enough time to consider our offer for 2017?"

Before Lightning could say anything, he heard Leyland shout, "Hey!" from the other side of the tent. Tim and Rusty spun around as Leyland and Strip drove over to them. Everyone else inside the cafeteria tent turned to watch the exchange.

"Back off, okay, guys?" Leyland told the Prodrive team owners firmly. "Lightning's not interested in joining your team, okay?"

"I'm sure he can make up his own mind about that," Rusty challenged.

"You know, once Lightning's contract with Triple Eight runs out, he's going to return to the Piston Cup," Strip added.

"You have that confirmed in writing?" Tim asked.

"That's it!" Lightning exclaimed, spinning around. "Let me make one thing absolutely clear to all of you! I have NOT decided what I'm going to be doing in 2017! Honestly, you team owners are worse than the media sometimes! I've only been racing here for six months, and you're already wanting me to make decisions that won't happen for at least eighteen months! Now, just leave me alone, okay? I have a race to win."

And with that, Lightning made his engine growl threateningly. Intimidated, Tim and Rusty reversed, giving Lightning enough room to escape out of the tent. He drove away, heading for the pits.

Lightning had only gone a short distance, when he realised he was being followed. Glancing in his rear view mirrors, he stopped and sighed when he saw Strip not too far behind him.

"You know what, Strip? You'd make a terrible spy."

Chuckling, Strip pulled up beside Lightning. "Sorry. And I'm sorry about what I said back there. I'm just trying to understand why you prefer racing in touring cars over the Piston Cup. I mean, this type of racing is so slow! Whatever happened to the race car who was under the tuition of the Fabulous Hudson Hornet? Somehow, I don't think he would've supported you in this."

Lightning lowered his eyelids menacingly. "How would you know that? He wasn't your stepdad!"

"I know, but seriously, Lightning! You don't seem to realise just how much this is hurting your career. This type of racing will ruin your chances of ever winning another Piston Cup!"

Lightning just blinked at Strip for a moment, but then he said, "Do you even know what it's like for me out there? This is ten times better than the Piston Cup!"

Strip didn't look convinced. "Really? How?"

"Would you like to experience a hot lap tomorrow? I can arrange one if you like."

Strip nodded. "Sure. Why not? Maybe then I might be able to convince you that you're just wasting your time, because seriously, _anybody_ can do this kind of stuff!"

"We'll see," Lightning muttered as he drove away.

…

A couple of hours later, Lightning vented all of his frustrations in the Development Series Qualifying Round, easily taking first place on the grid for that afternoon's race, with a time of 1:14.6769. Dutto was surprised. While all three racers had been in a bad mood since breakfast, only Lightning had managed to improve on the previous day's performance.

"You got your one minute fourteen, Speedster," Dutto said, trying to lighten the mood inside the pit garage.

"Wonderful!" Lightning muttered as he sipped on a drink.

"What's got into you three this morning?" Dutto wondered, perplexed.

"They had a fight," Leyland explained, driving over. He passed a file to Dutto before turning to face Lightning. "Speedster? You're wanted for a random fuel test."

Lightning was surprised. "What, now?"

"Yes. In the first aid room. Do you want me to escort you?"

"No thanks, Leyland," Lightning replied quickly, and he left.

…

Several hours later, Lightning was watching the closing stages of the qualifying round for race 16 in the Championship Series. He frowned when he saw the racers easily getting into the one minute thirteen mark, with some even getting down as low as one minute twelve. Lightning exhaled deeply.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Leyland asked him kindly.

"I'm just doubting that I'll be good enough to race in the Championship Series next year. And before you jump in and try to convince me that I _am_ good enough, I'd like you to compare my time from this morning with Craig's and Jamie's."

"Would you like to see the times they did the very first time they raced on this circuit?" Leyland asked. "I can assure you, they were a lot slower than what you've been. Being two seconds behind the Championship Series pace is pretty good in my books, considering this is the first time you've ever raced here. Stop being so hard on yourself, and just enjoy this while you can, okay?"

"Okay," Lightning muttered. Sighing again, he passed his headset back to Dutto, so he could start to get ready for his race.

…

About an hour later, Lightning stood in pole position on the grid, ready to start the race. Glancing up at the VIP box, he saw Strip watching him closely. Lightning shook his front. Clearly, now that he was doing so well in the V8 Supercars, everyone was going to start trying to pull him in the direction they wanted him to go in. And he had a feeling that no matter what he decided to do, he wouldn't be able to satisfy everyone.

Lightning cast that thought aside as the air horn sounded to signal the start of the warm up lap. Lightning led the field into the warm up lap, weaving from side to side across the track so he could warm up his tyres and brakes. A couple of minutes later, Lightning came back around to the grid. Leyland was behind the pit row safety fence, waiting to help talk Lightning into his grid position.

"And three…two…one. Stop!" Leyland ordered over the radio.

Lightning promptly obeyed.

"Good. Don't move. Green flag, mate. Five seconds."

Lightning waited in nervous anticipation. Knowing that Strip was watching him unnerved him, since he knew Strip would tell everyone back in America just how he was really going in the V8 Supercars. Even though the race was being aired live over there, it was well after midnight in America, so he doubted there'd be many people watching. Plus, he was sure Strip would use any mistake he made today as an excuse for him to return to the Piston Cup.

"I'll show him!" Lightning muttered to himself as he kept his eyes on the starting lights.

About a second before the lights went out, Lightning's nerves got the better of him, and he accidentally accelerated a little bit. He managed to stop himself from rolling just as the lights went out. Lightning instinctively floored it, and he flew off the grid, taking the lead by a clear margin well before the racers had even reached the first corner.

"Brilliant start, Lightning!" Leyland praised. "That's probably the best start I've ever seen you do."

Lightning didn't bother to reply. Glancing in his rear view mirrors, he guessed that he was about half a second ahead of his nearest competitor.

Two laps later, Lightning had started to settle into a rhythm. He could hear on the commentary that there were several minor incidents going on behind him, and he mentally prepared himself for a potential yellow flag.

"Uh, Lightning?" Leyland said over the radio, interrupting Lightning's thoughts. "Just letting you know that you and Shane Jacobson are currently under investigation for a potential false start. Dutto's reviewing your start now, but I don't think there'll be any problem with yours. While you did move before the lights went out, it looks like you managed to stop before you went over the grid line."

"Okay," Lightning replied, frowning. He hoped he'd be lucky enough to get away with it.

Over the next few laps, several more accidents happened, resulting in several racers pitting, including Renee Gracie. Lightning ignored much of what was going on behind him, and he continued focusing on maintaining and increasing his lead.

"Where's Paul?" Lightning asked as he entered lap eight.

"Fifth," Leyland replied simply. "Don't worry about him for now. I'll let you know if he makes a move. How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good."

"Good. Just a moment."

Lightning continued racing for about half a lap before Leyland got on the radio again. "I've just heard from the officials. You're in the clear for your start, since you didn't cross the grid line before the lights went out. Jacobson has been given a five second time penalty, which will be added to his time at the end of the race."

"Serves him right," Lightning muttered.

Leyland chuckled, but he didn't say anything else.

The rest of the race went smoothly for Lightning. He maintained his lead, making the whole race look too easy. While other racers continued to spin out and collide with each other, Lightning started overlapping some of the slower racers.

"Four laps…sorry, three laps left to go," Leyland informed him. "You've got a two-point-two second lead."

"Copy that," Lightning replied.

Figuring that he could afford to relax a bit now, Lightning eased off just a little bit.

"Okay, mate," Leyland said soothingly over the radio a few minutes later. "You're on the last lap. Take it easy. You're doing a good job."

Once again, Lightning didn't bother to reply. A minute later, he crossed over the finish line.

"Excellent work, Speedster," Leyland praised. "You made that look too easy."

"That's because it was," Lightning replied with a heavy sigh.

"Don't jinx yourself. I know you want a challenge, but I want you to win the Development Series Championship. You'll be grateful for this next year, trust me."

"I hope so," Lightning replied, tiredly.

…

Leyland shook his front in disbelief. The Championship Series race had just ended with Jamie and Craig finishing in ninth and fourteenth respectively. He knew it was partially because of the fight they'd had with Lightning that morning. Sighing, he drove over to Jamie.

"You did well, today," he praised. "Well, for someone who's racing with faulty antiroll bars, you were pretty good."

"Thanks."

"Can I ask, what was the fight about this morning? I heard raised voices from you three, but I couldn't hear what any of you said."

"Ah, it was nothing really. Lightning was teasing me, and I overreacted. I don't know what happened between him and Craig. I left before they fought."

"I see. Thank you. Get plenty of sleep. I want you to be at your best tomorrow."

"Understood. Goodnight."

Seeing Dr Andrews approaching with a clipboard, Leyland drove over to him.

"Lightning's fuel tests results from earlier," Dr Andrews said as he passed over the clipboard. "All negative, as usual."

"Thanks. I understand that Lightning spoke to the officials about doing a hot lap with Strip tomorrow. That should be interesting to watch."

"I don't know anything about that, but it sounds like it will be good. I've been watching Lightning closely today. He's still very upset."

"I know. I was thinking of taking the entire team somewhere for a fun day sometime next week, to help them all relax. What do you think of that idea?"

"I think that's a great idea. We all need it. Prodrive have really put the pressure on us this year, so it'll be a good chance for the whole team to get to know each other better. Just as long as it's somewhere not too stressful on the racers. We don't want to wear them out before Ipswich."

"I was thinking of doing some rallying. Think the team will go for that?"

"Only if they're allowed to get as dirty as they want," Dr Andrew replied with a knowing wink.

Leyland smiled. "You'll probably think I'm crazy for saying this, but I'll go along with that. Anything to help the team perform better as a unit again."

 **Thank you everyone for your reviews, and for your congratulations! Just waiting on my exam results now, but I'm pretty sure I've passed everything.**

 **I had a few minor issues with this chapter. I wrote it up over the weekend, but I wasn't entirely happy with it until today, after I'd played around with it a bit more. One scene was cut, but it will be included in the next chapter, I promise! I just think it'll fit better in the next chapter.**

 **Anyway, please keep the reviews coming! I always look forward to feedback.**


	42. Chapter 42 - Day 3 at Townsville

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 42 – Day 3 at the Townsville 400

 **Townsville 400, Day 3 – Townsville Street Circuit, Townsville, Queensland – Sunday, 12 July, 2015**

 _"_ _And they're into the final lap of what has turned out to be an exciting race," Bob Cutlass said. "Junior is maintaining a strong lead, while Lightning McQueen is struggling a bit back in seventh place. We don't often see the defending champion this far back in the field during the closing stages of a race. And here they come into the final turn…"_

 _Lightning revved his engine, pushing himself as hard as he could, but once again, he was blocked. He was still searching for a gap as Junior crossed the finish line to win. Then it happened. Up ahead, he saw multiple racers skidding across the finish line. One of them was on fire. The next thing he knew, someone had hit him from behind, sending him up onto the side of another racer. Then, he was rolling and flying through the air. He hit the safety fence with a sickening screech of metal, and everything instantly vanished from his senses. He heard nothing. Saw nothing. Felt nothing…_

 _Something appeared in front of Lightning. It was a road, lit only by headlights. He was racing against someone, but he couldn't figure out who it was…_

 _Bang!_

…

Lightning awoke with a loud gasp. For a moment, he panted heavily, while he tried to figure out where he was, and what was going on. He calmed down a bit when he saw that he was still inside the safety of the hotel room he was sharing with Craig and Jamie. A shiver ran throughout his entire body. The nightmare had seemed so real again. The end part puzzled him. It hadn't happened when he'd had the same nightmare the night before.

Craig opened a sleepy eye. "Another nightmare?" he asked in a low whisper.

Lightning nodded, but he wasn't sure if Craig could see him, so he whispered, "Yeah. The same one I had last night."

"I guess Strip being here isn't helping matters, is it?"

"No. What's the time?"

Craig glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table near him. "One thirty-two. Think you'll be able to go back to sleep?"

"I'll try," Lightning sighed.

Craig closed his eyes, and he settled back down. Lightning tried to do the same, but he was too wound up. Now he wished Sally hadn't stayed at home, because he really wanted to snuggle up with her for comfort. Sighing, he pulled the blankets completely over himself, covering his eyes. All he wanted to do was to sleep for one night without having nightmares…

…

About five hours later, Craig and Jamie slowly woke up to the loud ringing of the alarm clock. While Jamie switched it off, Craig glanced over at Lightning, who was finally sleeping peacefully.

"We'd better wake him up," Craig sighed as Jamie stretched his axles. "He has qualifying before we do." He drove over to Lightning. "Hey, Speedster? Wake up. You need to get to the racetrack. You have qualifying in a couple of hours."

Moaning, Lightning reluctantly stirred. "Morning, Sal," he muttered.

"Try opening your eyes before you greet someone 'good morning'," Craig said. He chuckled when Lightning's eyes flew open. "Thank goodness you didn't try to kiss me as well!"

"I…hehe…oh. Right. Sorry, Craig," Lightning said. Then he yawned and stretched. "What's the time?"

"Just after seven," Jamie replied. "You slept through the alarm."

"Oh, Chrysler! I'll be late!"

Lightning raced over to the door. Upon opening it, he came face to face with Dutto. Luckily, Lightning managed to stop just in time to avoid colliding with the forklift.

"Ah! Good! You're up. How'd you sleep last night?"

"Badly," Lightning replied hurriedly. "Sorry, but I need to go grab some breakfast before I talk to the officials about my hot lap with Strip. We can talk more later."

Dutto quickly moved out of Lightning's way. After watching him dash away down the hallway, he turned to face Craig and Jamie. "Did he have another nightmare?"

Craig nodded. "The same one. He woke me up this time, but I didn't stay awake for long."

Nodding, Dutto frowned. He only hoped that Lightning would be okay to race.

…

Somehow, Lightning managed to avoid bumping into Strip while he prepared for his qualifying round. He also found some spare time to finalise the hot lap with racing directors, Tim Schenken and Michael Masi. While there were several conditions that he had to abide by, Lightning found he was actually looking forward to it. He hoped it would teach Strip not to try to tell him what to do with his life. Only Sally had that right.

Thinking of Sally made Lightning feel a bit lonesome, so while he was undergoing his final checks and weigh-in for qualifying, he decided to phone her for a brief chat. She answered after the second ring.

"Hey beautiful," Lightning said, trying to sound cheerful.

"Stickers!" Sally squealed happily. "I wasn't expecting you to phone so early, especially after our conversation last night. I'm watching the V8s on TV. I can't wait to see your qualifying round in fifteen minutes! Why are you phoning? Is everything okay?"

"Can't a guy phone his wife for no reason?" Lightning teased. "I was thinking about you, and wishing that you could be here to watch me race."

"Oh, I know, and I'm so sorry. But you've seen how nervous I get when I watch you race. I don't want to pass my nerves onto you."

Lightning smiled at her thoughtfulness. "You've never told me that. You just always say that you're too busy to come and see me race."

"I'm sorry. That's half true. I do have a lot to do managing the business side of the Cozy Cone; especially now that I've expanded it. But I also want you to do your very best out there, and sometimes I feel like I'm just distracting you."

"You're a good distraction though. I wanted to hug you last night."

"Aww! I'm sorry, Stickers. You can make up for that when you get back, I promise. You can cuddle and kiss me to your heart's content. And, I promise I'll come and watch you race in Ipswich if it means that much to you."

"It does, and thank you. Oh, and the day after I get back, we'll go to the nearest factory, okay?"

There was silence for a moment, but then Sally said in a breathless voice, "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I've been thinking about this for a couple of days, and I think it's time we started planning for our future family."

Sally's excited scream echoed from the phone throughout the pit garage, making everyone look straight at Lightning in surprise. Lightning cringed.

"Uh, we can talk more about this later, sweetie. I've gotta go now."

"Okay, sure! Good luck with your race today. I'll be watching!"

"Thanks. Love you."

"Love you too, Stickers."

Lightning hung up the phone. Shaking his front, Leyland drove over to him.

"Whatever you said sure made her happy. Are you ready for qualifying?"

"Yes, I think so."

"You think so?" Leyland frowned with concern.

"I mean, yes, I'm ready, Leyland."

"Are you sure?"

Lightning nodded.

"Okay, then. Let's get you out there."

…

During qualifying, Lightning thought he was doing rather well. Even though he was still only in the one minute fourteen range, he was one of the fastest racers out there. After eight laps, Leyland decided that Lightning had had enough.

"That's good now, Lightning," he said over the radio. "I think we'll lock in your time at one minute fourteen point seven-five-six-nine seconds."

"Okay," Lightning quickly agreed as he headed into pit lane.

Leyland and Dutto exchanged worried glances. They'd been prepared to have an argument with Lightning, considering how upset he'd been about his times the day before. Turning, Leyland beckoned for Dr Andrews to join him.

"Can you keep a close eye on Lightning today, please?"

"I already am," the team doctor replied. "He doesn't look as sharp as he usually is. I think he's just tired."

Sighing, Leyland turned his attention back to the screens. "Hopefully, he won't use up what's left of his energy in the hot lap."

Just as Lightning arrived back at the pit garage, Leyland saw a change in the qualifying positions. He frowned when he saw Lightning's name get dropped into second place.

"Sorry, Speedster," he apologised, mentally taking note of the fact that Lightning was breathing much harder than he normally did after qualifying. "Pither just overtook your position on the grid."

Exhaling deeply, Lightning collapsed onto his chassis. "Oh well. At least I'm still on the front row of the grid."

It was Dutto's turn to frown as he studied Lightning's condition. Without saying a word, he drove over to the bar fridge. After looking inside for a moment, he drove back over to Lightning.

"How much protein oil have you had today?" he asked.

"Two cans," Lightning replied. "And I could do with another one."

"You might have said that while I was over at the fridge!" Dutto exclaimed.

Leyland just laughed with relief. Clearly, a lack of protein for Lightning was the least of their concerns.

…

Just before noon, during the twenty minute on-track entertainment period, Lightning and Strip drove along pit row. Behind him, Lightning could hear Strip muttering all sorts of things about how slow and easy he believed his hot lap would be.

"Do I really have to stay behind you?" he complained as they reach the pit lane exit.

"Yes," Lightning told him firmly. "Or you'll never get another hot lap with the V8 Supercars! And believe me, after this one, you won't stop until you've experienced a hot lap around Bathurst. That track's the best in the world! That's what I think anyway."

Pausing at the pit lane exit, Lightning gave a piece of paper to the official parked there. The paper was an official permit from race control for Lightning to take Strip on a hot lap. The official radioed race control for confirmation.

"I'm not sure if this is a good idea after all," Strip said nervously, as he stared past Lightning at the racetrack. He seemed to realise that this was really about to happen, and that Lightning would not go easy on him. "I mean, I haven't raced since I retired! Well, not properly anyway."

"Don't worry," Lightning assured him. "I won't go at qualifying pace. Just do your best to keep up with me. If I see you lagging behind, I'll slow down."

"Right, you're good to go for your hot lap, Lightning," the official said. "Just remember, you're not allowed to practice your racing start, and you're only allowed to be out there for one lap."

"Thanks for the reminder," Lightning said as he revved his engine.

"Have fun, Mr Weathers," the official smiled.

Before Strip could reply, Lightning floored it. Caught off-guard, Strip accelerated after him. Before they'd reached the first corner, Lightning switched off his brake bias. He knew it meant he could easily lock up his brakes, but he didn't care. Since he practically had the whole racetrack to himself for just over a minute, he couldn't resist having a bit of fun to show off to the excited crowd, and to Strip.

Going around the first corner, Lightning deliberately took it wide, racing just centimetres away from the concrete wall. Behind him, he could hear Strip struggling to stay with him. He slowed down for the second corner, which enabled Strip to catch up momentarily. Lightning then accelerated up to turn three, where he deliberately went for a dramatic tail slide.

"Lightning! Are you crazy?" Strip yelled behind him when he saw Lightning's left tail light almost graze the concrete wall.

Chuckling, Lightning kept racing, taking turns four, five and six like a pro. Strip's eyes widened when he saw just how high into the air Lightning went as he jumped over the raised kerbs. Seeing it on the TV was nothing compared with seeing it happen right in front of him. Not wanting to risk injuring himself at his age, Strip stayed on the tarmac, hoping that Lightning really knew what he was doing.

On the kerb at turn seven, Strip saw Lightning go completely airborne for a brief second. He cringed when he heard Lightning land heavily, but that didn't seem to faze the younger racer as his chassis twisted over the kerb at turn eight. Thankfully, the next two corners were smooth bends, but then they reached the hairpin. Strip slowed right down, thinking that Lightning would do the same, but instead, Lightning barely slowed, tail sliding around the hairpin at around a hundred kilometres an hour!

"That's impossible!" Strip exclaimed, eyes wide in disbelief.

Having completed the hot lap, Lightning turned into pit lane. Strip gratefully following him into the pits. Stopping outside the Redbulldozer pit garage, Lightning smiled when he saw Strip in his rear view mirrors, shaking his front repeatedly. He turned to face his former rival.

"Now do you understand why I left the Piston Cup?" Lightning teased.

Strip nodded humbly. "How did you do that? That was insane! And you do that, lap after lap? I can't imagine the stress those kerbs put on your body. It looked completely unnatural!"

"Yeah, well, I needed that after everything that's happened," Lightning muttered. Louder, he added, "I hope you enjoyed that. I need to start getting ready for my race now, sorry."

"That's okay. Good luck! And thank you. I think I do understand why you left now. I could never have done this!"

Smiling, Lightning drove inside his team's pit garage. He froze when he saw Leyland and Dutto glaring sternly at him.

"What?"

"Put your brake bias back on!" Leyland ordered. Lightning sheepishly did so. "And don't you _ever_ race with it off again! Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Leyland," Lightning sighed.

"I don't even know why you disabled it. You could've hurt yourself, tail sliding around out there! And what, may I ask, is so funny?"

"Nothing," Lightning chuckled. "You just reminded me of Doc. He used to shout at me like that all the time."

Leyland was speechless for a moment, before he finally muttered, "Well, maybe you should think ahead and listen more, then nobody would have to shout at you."

…

Lightning was rather disappointed to see Craig and Jamie miss out on racing in the Top Ten Shootout for that afternoon's Championship race, owing to the fact that they didn't do very well in their qualifying round. Leyland wasn't happy either, but Dutto tried to stay positive.

"At least we'll have more tyres in our bank, which will give us a slight advantage," he said, while most of the team enjoyed their lunch inside the cafeteria tent.

Leyland frowned when he saw Lightning yawning. "Can we give Speedster some caffeine before his race?" he asked Dr Andrews and Dutto.

"I suppose so," Dr Andrews replied. "You know I don't like giving it to racers though. Too much, and they start bouncing off walls! Although, looking at Lightning, I think he does need some."

"Let him have a nap inside the transporter first," Dutto suggested. "He told me he didn't sleep well again last night."

Leyland nodded in agreement. "I won't push him this afternoon anyway. He's got a huge points margin, so even if he ends up with a DNF, he should still be okay."

"Must you be so pessimistic?" Dr Andrews grumbled.

"I prefer to call it 'realistic'." Leyland replied.

…

At exactly 2:55pm, Lightning and the rest of the Development Series competitors drove out onto the track for their warm up lap. Lightning found it rather strange to be behind someone else for once, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

 _All I've got to do is to get another fantastic start off the line, overtake Pither before turn two, and then I should be able to cruise home again._

Just like the day before, Leyland talked Lightning into his grid position. "Three…two…one…stop. Just move forwards a fraction… Stop! Perfect! You're good to go, mate, when the lights go out. Whatever you do, do not do a false start! Okay, we've got the green flag now. Five seconds…"

Lightning revved his engine, joining in the chorus around him. He kept his eyes firmly fixed on the lights until they went out. Instinctively, Lightning accelerated. He was surprised to see Pither keeping pace with him on his right. Then, a flash of blue coming up on Pither's other side, caught his attention. It was Paul, who'd come racing up from the second row on the grid, to join in the drag race. Lightning gulped. There was no way the three of them could take the sharp, 90 degree turn at turn two together! Someone would have to yield, and quickly!

Gritting his teeth in fierce determination, Lightning pushed himself harder. To his relief, he took the lead as they went around the slight bend at turn one. Unfortunately, Lightning's increased speed meant that he had to brake for turn two a lot sooner than he would have liked. Paul saw his advantage, and he ducked neatly onto the racing line as they entered the turn. Lightning, caught on the outside, had no choice but to run wide, in order to avoid exchanging paint with Pither. He was lucky that Pither was kind enough to give him just enough room for him to squeeze between Pither and the wall.

Coming out of turn two, Lightning found himself in second position behind Paul. He couldn't believe just how fast Paul was racing today! He was already half a second ahead of Lightning.

Just when Lightning was starting to settle down, he saw yellow flags appear.

"It's a safety car, Lightning," Leyland explained. "There was a four-car pile-up behind you where you almost hit the wall at turn two. The racers are okay, but they need to clear some debris off the track."

"Copy that. Sorry I messed up the start."

"You did the best you could. Just keep the pressure on Paul for the rest of the race. Do everything you can to overtake him."

"Okay. I'll try."

For the remainder of the race, Lightning stayed in second position. He didn't need to fight Pither to hang onto his position, because Pither never got close enough again to challenge him. Lightning did manage to get close to Paul a few times, but the older racer knew exactly how to handle Lightning, and he managed to block him every time.

Towards the end of the race, Lightning began to tire. The caffeine he'd been given had obviously worn off, and he found it hard enough just to keep going at racing pace.

In the pits, Leyland couldn't help but sigh with frustration. He'd been hoping that Lightning would keep the pressure on Paul, but now that he was more than two second off the pace, that didn't look likely.

"He's exhausted," Dutto said sympathetically after he'd studied Lightning's telemetry. "Don't scold him, Leyland. Just give him some encouragement. That's what he needs to hear right now."

Nodding, Leyland spoke into his microphone. "You're doing great, Speedster! Keep it up! You've only got two laps left to go."

"Okay," Lightning panted.

Lightning finished the race in second place behind Paul. Pither finished in third, eight seconds behind Lightning. Even though Lightning was thoroughly exhausted, he did his best not to show it throughout the trophy presentation.

As Lightning drove off the podium, he saw Kori waiting impatiently for an interview. Rather reluctantly, Lightning went over to her.

"Lightning, can I just ask you a few questions?"

"Sure."

"Even though you didn't win today, you still won the trophy for the highest number of points gained for the weekend. How does that make you feel?"

"Honestly, I'm just glad that I finished the weekend without getting involved in any incidents," Lightning answered. "Jimmy's tragic death nearly a week ago really shook me, and it reminded me of just how dangerous this sport could be. He was a great friend, and a brilliant racer with a promising career ahead of him. Because of that, I'd like to dedicate my overall win to him, and…" Lightning had to stop talking as he finally broke down in tears. He couldn't believe he was crying on live TV, but he couldn't help himself. He was too exhausted, both emotionally and physically, to fight the tears, so he just let them flow.

Kori, seeing how upset Lightning was, decided to end the interview. Nodding gratefully, Lightning drove away quickly to the sanctuary of the Redbulldozer Racing pit garage.

As soon as he'd entered the garage, Dr Andrews set to work on helping Lightning with his post-race recovery.

Fifteen minutes later, Dr Andrews frowned with concern. "I think we'd better get you into the hydrotherapy pool," he said. "You're RPMs are still racing, and your temperature is still much higher than what it should be by now."

Lightning was too exhausted to argue, so he submitted to the hydrotherapy session. The ice-cold water was surprisingly refreshing – for about two minutes. After that, it became almost unbearable.

It took over an hour for Lightning's body to settle down enough for Dr Andrews to be satisfied that he'd be okay. By then, the Championship race had been run and won. To Leyland's annoyance, Frosty won. Jamie, despite his handicap with his faulty antiroll bars, finished in a satisfactory fifth place, while Craig finished in ninth.

"Well, that wasn't too bad, I suppose," Lightning overheard Leyland say while the racers were returning to the pits. "I wonder if Jamie's exploratory surgery has helped him in some way."

"I doubt that," Dutto replied. "Jamie's just really good at handling street circuits, remember?"

"Yeah. I suppose you're right. Okay, let's pack up, so we can get out of here. The sooner we get packed up, the sooner we can get back to our hotel. I want to leave here as early as possible in the morning."

"In that case, may I go to bed early?" Lightning asked, interrupting.

"Of course you can, Lightning!" Dutto replied. "You don't need to ask. Off you go. I'll make sure Craig and Jamie don't disturb you."

"Thanks. Goodnight."

"'Night," Leyland and Dutto said in unison.

"Think he'll sleep well tonight?" Leyland asked Dutto once Lightning was out of earshot.

"From the looks of him, I wouldn't be at all surprised."

 **Thank you everyone for your positive feedback! I don't think my exam results will be out for a couple of weeks, so I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.**

 **As for the story, I haven't forgotten about Sally, but with so much information to include in each chapter, I'm afraid I have been leaving her out a bit. I'm sorry about that, so I hope the next chapter will make up for that. I know everyone wants Lightning to face some bigger challenges when he's racing, so I promise, things are about to start getting much more exciting on the racetrack...**


	43. Chapter 43 - Baby Plans

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 43 – Baby Plans

 **Bruce Highway just south of Rockhampton – Monday 13 July, 2015**

 _Ring! Ring!_

Moaning sleepily, Lightning reluctantly woke up. He was with Craig, Jamie and Dutto inside the transporter, heading back down south to Brisbane. Knowing how exhausted Lightning had been the evening before, Dutto had volunteered to travel with the racers, so he could continue monitoring their recovery.

Seeing that the phone didn't recognise the caller, Dutto answered it with, "Redbulldozer Racing Australia, Mark Dutton speaking."

"Hi, this is Rusty and Dusty. Can we talk to Lightning for a moment, please? Leyland gave us this number."

"Sure. Lightning? Would you like to talk to them?"

"I suppose," Lightning replied, trying to suppress a yawn. He failed. After Craig had moved out of the way, Lightning squeezed closer to the phone. _At least this transporter is big enough for four of us_ , he thought. _Just_. "Hey guys," he said into the phone.

"You sound like you just woke up," Rusty observed.

"He did," Jamie muttered in the background.

"I am still a bit tired after yesterday's race," Lightning admitted, after casting Jamie a scathing glare.

"We saw it, and we were concerned about you," Rusty continued.

"Especially after you broke down during the trophy presentation," Dusty added. "We're sorry we didn't phone earlier to see how you were coping. Things have been rather, well…chaotic here."

"I understand. It must have been a bigger shock for you than it was for me."

"Yeah," Rusty muttered.

A tear slipped out of Lightning's left eye, and it made a wet trail down his fender. Seeing that he was crying again, Craig moved closer to him.

"Lightning? If you need to cry, go ahead. You'll feel much better if you do."

Hearing that, Lightning finally allowed himself to let his tears flow freely. Dutto moved closer to the phone.

"Thanks for your call, Rusty and Dusty, but I think Lightning's going to need a bit more time before he's ready to talk."

"No problem. We just wanted to let him know that we're still here if he wants to talk to someone."

"Thank you," Lightning whispered through his tears. "How's Mack?"

"He still doesn't want to talk about what happened either," Dusty said. "We'll let you go now. Bye."

Dutto pressed the button to hang up the phone. Needing a fender to cry on, Lightning buried his front against Craig's side. Nobody said anything until Lightning had released all of his tears.

"Thanks, guys," he finally said. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Dutto gently assured him. "Crying is the best therapy in the world, and you clearly needed it. When we get back to Brisbane, I want you to get outside as much as possible. Take Sally to a theme park, or go on a picnic and just enjoy yourselves."

"What about training?"

"We have about three weeks until our nest race meeting at Ipswich, and I'm officially going to give you the next week off training. Leyland wants to take the whole team rallying one weekend soon, so be prepared for that."

"Rallying?" Jamie said, perking up a bit. "Oh, goody! I love rallying!"

"Are you any good at it?" Lightning asked, curiously.

"Actually, he stinks at it," Craig interjected. "Just watch out for Leyland and Dutto here. They're surprisingly good."

"Yeah, I vaguely remember how good they were at my stag party," Lightning said, pouting. "At least I won't be drunk this time."

Jamie cringed sheepishly. "Would anyone like to play a computer game? We've got four controllers now, so at least we no longer have to fight over them. I bags the red one."

"Hey!" Lightning yelped. "Nobody touches the red one! That's mine!"

"I don't see your name on it. Besides, I've already bagsed it."

"I won't play if I don't get the red controller!" Lightning protested.

Craig exhaled deeply. "Dutto? Would you mind asking Leyland to purchase another red game controller for the transporter?"

…

Late the following morning, Lightning reluctantly stirred from his sleep. The team had arrived safely back in Brisbane at around ten o'clock the night before, but Lightning hadn't hung around at the team's headquarters any longer than necessary. None of the others had really understood his desire to get home, except for Craig, who'd been rather sympathetic. He understood just how much Lightning had been missing Sally, so he'd helped his younger teammate 'escape'.

Opening his eyes, Lightning saw Sally snuggled up beside him. She smiled seductively at him.

"Morning, sleepyhood."

"Morning, beautiful. What's the time?"

"About nine-thirty. You'd sleep until noon if I let you."

Yawning, Lightning stretched his axles. "I'd better have some breakfast before I get going. I only managed to get away from Leyland last night, on the proviso that I go back this morning for my personal post-race debrief. Secretly though, I think he just wants me to tell him how good he was as a crew chief. After that, I'm all yours for a week."

"Are you sure you can afford to take a whole week off training?" Sally asked.

"Dutto practically ordered me to. You know, I just realised something. Last night was the first night since Jimmy's death that I haven't had any nightmares."

"Well, that's good. It means that you're finally getting over it. I'll go and tell Gracie that you're up at last. She's been keeping your breakfast warm for you. I've already had mine."

After breakfast, Lightning reluctantly drove back to his team's headquarters. Since there was no training that day, the place was rather quiet and deserted. Obviously, nearly everyone had decided to just take the day off to rest. Lightning's post-race debrief with Leyland went well. They reviewed footage of his races, and they discussed ways in which Lightning could improve.

"You're doing exceptionally well as a Development Series racer," Leyland told him. "But next year, you'll find yourself struggling as you battle the Championship Series racer. I'm not expecting you to be as consistently good as Craig and Jamie, but I'll be pushing you just the same. In the meantime, I want you to focus on the things we discussed. By the way, how did I go as your Crew Chief?"

"Honestly? I'll probably get my fenders slapped for saying this, but you talk too much. You only need to say about half of what you do say."

Lightning only just managed to dodge Leyland's tyre.

…

The following morning, after another nightmare-free sleep, Lightning and Sally prepared for their appointment at the factory. Lightning was glad it was only about a forty-five minute drive away, because Sally, being a typical woman, couldn't decide on what hubcaps and perfume to wear.

"Maybe I should've asked Gracie to help her," Lightning sighed as he paced around the entry hall for the umpteenth time. Pausing at the bottom of the ramp, he shouted upstairs. "Hurry up, Sally! I don't want to have to speed! That'll make us even later if we get pulled over by a cop!"

"Cop?" Gracie asked as she entered the room. "What's that?"

"The Australian word for a police officer," Lightning replied. "And in case you didn't know, a 'cop shop' is a police station."

"You learn something new every day," Gracie muttered as she continued on her way.

Five minutes later, Sally finally appeared. "Okay, I'm ready."

"About time," Lightning muttered under his breath. He frowned when he saw the hubcaps Sally had chosen to wear. "Sal… Never mind."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"I'm over-dressed, aren't I?"

"No. Let's go."

Sally was over-dressed, but Lightning decided to let it slip. If he'd told her 'yes', he knew she'd have dashed straight back upstairs to change, and then they'd be late.

Lightning and Sally arrived at the factory with just five minutes to spare until their appointment. They drove over to the reception desk.

"Mr and Mrs McQueen," Lightning told the receptionist. "We have an eleven o'clock appointment."

"Yes, I'll let Doctor Holden know that you've arrived," the receptionist replied. "Did you bring the completed paperwork?"

Lightning placed a folder up on the desk. The receptionist smiled.

"That's fine, thank you. Please, just take a seat. We shouldn't be too long."

Lightning and Sally parked themselves between the cushioned arms of a lounge 'chair'. Sally's eyes danced excitedly as she gazed around the waiting room.

"I can't wait!" she whispered. "I'm just hoping everything will go smoothly for us."

"Why shouldn't it?" Lightning wondered. "Don't worry. I'm sure that by the end of today, we'll be proud, expectant parents."

Lightning frowned as he said the word 'parents'. Somehow, being here at the factory, made that fact hit home. He wasn't sure if he was ready to be a father, but there was no going back now.

"Mr and Mrs McQueen?" a white SUV called.

Lightning and Sally drove forwards, and they followed the SUV down several long hallways, until they finally entered one of the offices.

"I'm Doctor Holden," the SUV introduced himself once they'd arranged themselves. "I've just been looking through your application forms, and I understand that this is the first time you've tried to have a baby?"

Lightning and Sally nodded in unison.

"Do you know and understand the process?"

"Yes," Sally replied, while Lightning just shrugged.

"I see. Well, I'll explain the basic process anyway. Today, I'll ask you some questions, and I'll take some oil samples from you both to ensure that you're healthy enough to have a child." Pausing, he stared at Lightning. "Although, considering your occupation, I'm not expecting that to be a problem. Sometimes, we get couples come through, who are clearly unable to produce a healthy child, but they still insist on having one. Since we build the babies, it's our responsibility to ensure that they're as healthy as possible. Yes, some obstetricians aren't very responsible, and they let anyone have babies. Those unfortunate baby cars usually end up as lemons."

Lightning winced. "After my experiences with lemons, I'm glad you are careful!"

Dr Holden chuckled. "I do my best. Anyway, after today's interview, I'll run a police check on you both. You should find out in a few days if you've passed it or not. We do that to try and limit the number of babies who end up in State care, although, again, it doesn't always work. If you pass the police check, you'll be added to our extensive waiting list. In about nine months' time, you'll receive a call. That can happen at any time during the day or night, so you need to be ready for it. As soon as you've received that call, you'll have exactly two hours to get here. If you don't, you'll have missed your chance, and you'll have to go through this process all over again. Do you both understand?"

"Yes," Lightning answered. "Do we both have to be here on the day the baby's built?"

"Ideally, yes, since we'll need fresh DNA samples from you both, although in some exceptional cases, we can offer to freeze the DNA from one partner only, if it's likely for them to miss the build day. It is very expensive though, so most couples can't afford the service."

"Just a moment," Lightning said. Taking out his Skypad, he began browsing for the yet-to-be-confirmed V8 Supercars Championship Series race schedule for 2016.

"How much does the service cost?" Sally asked.

"A hundred thousand dollars," Dr Holden replied. "We can keep the frozen DNA for up to twelve months, so you need to be certain."

Lightning looked up from his Skypad. "Bad news. I'm supposed to be racing in Melbourne and then Perth around the time our baby will be due."

"We can discuss this in a moment," Dr Holden interrupted. "I need to ask you these questions first."

"Yes, of course," Lightning said, switching off his Skypad.

"Right, these questions are just to confirm that everything you've told us in your application forms are correct. First of all, what is your current, combined financial status?"

"Eighty-six million, four hundred and ninety-three thousand dollars," Lightning answered. "That's in American dollars though, not Australian."

"Thanks. The next question is, why do you want to have a baby?"

"We've decided that it's time for us to start a family," Sally replied. "We both love children, and we don't want to wait until it's too late to have one."

"You do realise that any children you have here will automatically become Australian citizens?"

"Yes," Lightning replied.

Dr Holden drove forwards a little. "Why don't you wait until you return to America?"

"Because we want to have a baby now!" Sally burst out.

"Mrs McQueen, would you mind waiting outside the room for a moment, please? I'd like to talk to your husband alone."

Looking rather vexed, Sally reluctantly left the room. Dr Holden closed the door firmly behind her.

"Mr McQueen. I'm going to be very straight with you. I see this every single day. Couples from overseas come here, wanting to have a baby, to ensure the government has no choice but to let them stay here. Now, I'm not saying that's what you're doing, but I need to know for sure."

Lightning drew in a deep breath before he began. "You'll see that Sally and I are permanent residents. Normally, you have to live in Australia for a number of years before you can claim that, but owing to the nature of my work, the government granted me the permanent residency because it was easier than having to go through the process of applying for work visas every six months. I didn't ask the government for that, but they at least understood just how stressful my occupation is. I don't need red tape getting in my way when I'm trying to win races. Under normal circumstances, I'd be very happy to wait until we returned to America to have our baby, but seeing my friend die on the racetrack last week made me realise that, if I died during a race, Sally would be left on her own, without any living memories of me. A child can provide that. I'm doing this for Sally. She desperately wants a baby, and you know we can easily support one. We haven't rushed into this. We've been talking about starting a family ever since our wedding, and now seemed like the best time to begin the process."

"What are you planning to do once your contract with Redbulldozer Racing runs out?"

Lightning exhaled deeply. "I'm not sure at this stage. I've had several offers to continue racing with other teams, but I would also like to return home to America and the Piston Cup. That is a decision I'll be making this time next year though, and hopefully by then, Sally and I will be parents."

Dr Holden turned towards his computer while he considered Lightning's answers. After a moment, he asked, "Would you ever consider duel-citizenship?"

"I already have. Sally and I love Australia just as much as we love America. We own a home here now, and we're settled with a stable income."

"Yes… All right. Ask your wife to come back in here, please."

Lightning did so. As Sally re-entered the room, Lightning could see that the excitement from earlier had vanished from her eyes. He tenderly held her tyre with his own.

There was a few minutes of silence, while Dr Holden typed away at his computer. Finally, he turned back to face Lightning and Sally.

"Mr and Mrs McQueen. Based on the answers you've provided me with today, I am happy to process your application for a baby-."

Sally squealed with joy, making Dr Holden pause. He cleared his throat before continuing.

"I'll put that you're interested in having Mr McQueen's DNA frozen, owing to the fact that he won't be in Brisbane at the time your baby is due. If your application is approved, Mr McQueen can return here anytime within the next six months to have his DNA frozen."

Lightning nodded in understanding. Dr Holden printed out a document, and he placed it in front of the happy couple.

"If you'll just sign this, we can get on with taking the oil samples, and then everything will be done."

Sally eagerly snatched up the pen.

 **Sorry I took a bit longer than I'd planned to update, but I've got a good reason... I'm GRADUATING! I've passed all my subjects, and so now I'm just finalising everything. Thank you so much for your support and congratulations!**

 **Please keep the reviews coming. They help keep me motivated to write, plus I love reading your thoughts.**


	44. Chapter 44 - The Mid-Season Break

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 44 – The Mid-Season Break

 **Lightning and Sally's Mansion, Rochedale, 17 kms south of Brisbane – Thursday, 16 July, 2015**

"That's it!" Lightning shouted above the rumble of the tractors as they were unloaded from the trailer.

One of the two farmhands he'd hired to help look after the tractors quickly closed the gate. The farmhands were both Utes from out west, so looking after tractors was second nature to them. Lightning peered through the fence at the tractors. One of them snorted at him.

"We'll have some fun later tonight, mate," Lightning promised. It had been ages since he'd done any tractor tipping.

"We'd better get started on the branding them," the other farmhand said as the livestock truck drove away.

"I'll leave you to it then," Lightning replied. As he drove away from the cattle yard, his phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey, Speedster. It's Leyland. Just wondered how you were enjoying your break."

"Yeah, it's been good so far. I've just had my first herd of tractors arrive. They're about to be branded. I chose a lightning bolt for the brand."

Leyland chuckled. "Why am I not surprised? What else have you been up to?"

"I took Sally to a theme park called Dreamworld yesterday," Lightning continued. "I couldn't convince her to go on the Giant Drop, but we went on everything else."

"What about you? Did you go on it?"

"Yes, but I'll never do it again!"

Leyland laughed. "Join the club! If you're not afraid of heights before going on that ride, you certainly are afterwards!"

Lightning shivered at the memory. "Are you just checking up on me, or did you want something?"

"Oh, I just thought you might be interested in joining the rest of the team for some rallying on Saturday."

"You can count me in on that one!"

"Great! I knew you wouldn't say no. We'll meet at nine a.m. at Craig's place. He's turned one of his paddocks into a rally track."

"I know. He showed it to me when I was staying with him. I took a few spins on it."

"That's good. Dutto wants to be challenged this year."

Lightning sniggered. "I won't disappoint him then. I'll see you there."

"Okay. Take care, Speedster."

"You too. Bye, Leyland."

While Lightning had been talking, he'd driven all the way back up to the house. He entered through a back door, just in time to see Mr Hood driving past with the morning mail.

"Is any of that for me?" Lightning asked while he wiped the mud off his tyres.

"Just this one," Mr Hood replied, handing it over.

Taking the letter between his teeth, Lightning headed upstairs. The letter was from the factory, so he wanted to open it with Sally.

"Sally!" Lightning called as he entered their bedroom. He dropped the letter onto the desk.

Sally emerged from the drive-in-robe. "Have the tractors arrived?"

"Yes. They're a nice looking mob too. This letter just arrived for us. It's from the factory."

Sally gasped. "Who's going to open it?"

"You?"

"I'm too afraid! You open it."

"Okay…"

After he'd opened the letter, Lightning read it silently to himself for a moment. Unable to contain herself any longer, Sally snatched the letter from him. A moment later, Sally let out an ear-piercing scream!

"Ow!" Lightning exclaimed, cringing. "Sal! Please! I need my hearing to race!"

"Sorry!" Sally breathed. She collapsed onto her chassis as tears tumbled from her eyes.

Mr Hood and Gracie burst into the room.

"See, now you've panicked the servants!" Lightning teasingly scolded her.

"Is everything all right, sir?" Mr Hood asked anxiously. "We heard a scream."

"What's happened to Sally?" Gracie added.

"Oh, she's all right," Lightning told them dismissively. Then he grinned. "We're just expecting a baby."

…

"You should've heard her scream!" Lightning told Craig and Jamie two days later, as they prepared for the team's get-together and rally day. "I never knew anyone was physically capable of screaming like that! I'm surprised the neighbours didn't call the cops to find out what was going on."

Leyland drove over to them. "Sorry to break up this father's meeting, but the rest of us are ready to race. You're all in the first heat."

Lightning, Craig and Jamie drove over to the starting line, where Dutto was already waiting for them. Dr Andrews held a megaphone up to his mouth.

"Okay, everyone! Listen up! Since I've been appointed as 'race control' for today, I need to make a few things clear. First of all, any contact with each other will be dealt with severely. The same will apply for any unnecessary risk-taking. But most importantly, have fun! All right, let's get on with this. The first heat will consist of Leyland, Dutto, Lightning, Craig and Jamie. You all know the rules. First and second place will go on to race in the semi-finals, and the first and second place-getters from them will go on to race in the finals after lunch. Is the first heat ready?"

Lightning took his place alongside the others on the start line. He glanced at Leyland who was beside him on his left.

"I hope you like mud."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you're about to taste it!"

Leyland scowled. "I suppose I asked for that."

"On your marks!" Dr Andrews said through the megaphone. "Get set!"

Lightning, Craig and Jamie instinctively revved their engines aggressively. Leyland and Dutto didn't bother.

"Go!"

The five of them floored it. Leyland lost a bit of grip in the dirt, and Lightning took advantage of that by darting in front of him. Dirt and mud sprayed up from Lightning's tyres, splattering Leyland all over!

"Oh! You'll pay for that, Lightning McQueen!" Leyland spluttered. Lightning just laughed in response.

Now that he had Leyland out of the way, Lightning focused on his next target – Jamie. Jamie clearly wasn't very good in the dirt, so Lightning was able to overtake him easily by using his signature counter-steer move around a corner. After that, Lightning only had to worry about Dutto who, he had to admit, was very good on dirt, but naturally the little forklift lacked Lightning's speed.

Nobody was surprised when Lightning finished the heat in first place. Dutto finished second.

"Well, that's just made things easy for me going into the semi-finals," Lightning said afterwards.

It did. Lightning ended up winning the final of the rally race, but he upset Dutto, because he'd won the annual team bonding day events for the past four years in a row.

…

The following Monday, Lightning returned to the factory alone, so he could have his DNA frozen. After he'd signed all of the paperwork, and paid a ten percent deposit, he was shown into Dr Holden's office.

"Right, Mr McQueen," Dr Holden said as he opened up a small cardboard box on his desk. "This procedure is fairly straightforward. Have you ever undergone a drug test before?"

"Not from my saliva," Lightning replied. "In racing, they prefer to do drug tests from oil samples. But I have seen drug tests done on police shows, so I know how to do it."

"Good. Okay, I want you to build up as much saliva as you can. When you've done that, I'll place this stick of cotton inside your mouth. You'll need to hold it under your tongue for about sixty seconds to ensure it is completely soaked."

Lightning complied. Once he had a mouthful of saliva, he nodded to Dr Holden, who placed the stick of cotton inside Lightning's mouth. Closing his lips around the stick, Lightning concentrated on soaking it as much as possible.

"Okay, that should be enough," Dr Holden said after a minute. He gently removed the drenched cotton from Lightning's mouth, and he sealed it inside a plastic tube. "I'll just stick this label on it, and I'll take it down to lab, where it'll be kept frozen in dry ice until it's needed. You may leave now."

"Thanks," Lightning said gratefully. "I can't wait to become a father!"


	45. Chapter 45 - Day 1 at Ipswich

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 45 – Day 1 at Queensland Raceway

 **Ipswich Supersprint, Day 1 – Queensland Raceway, Willowbank, Queensland – 53 Kms west of Brisbane – Saturday, 1 August, 2015**

Lightning smiled broadly as he entered the Redbulldozer pit garage. He'd had a great day the day before, topping his two practice sessions in the Development Series, and the commentators were already saying that he was very likely to take out the Development Series Championship. Lightning knew not to dwell on such speculation. Even though they were halfway through the season, it was still much too early for him to worry about the championship.

"Morning, Speedster," Leyland greeted him cheerfully.

"Morning, Leyland. Before you ask, yes I am ready to race. Especially since it's so cold this morning. It's nice being able to go back home after a hard day of racing, and fall asleep beside my gorgeous wife."

A general chuckled arose from those who'd heard Lightning's statement.

"And some people wonder why we always do so well at this racetrack," Dutto sniggered. " _We_ at least get to return to our cosy homes at the end of the day. Most of the other teams have to put up with staying in a noisy hotel while they're here."

Jamie and Craig entered the garage then. They were about to start their third and final practice session of the weekend.

"I think I'll go and see Doctor Anderson now," Lightning said. "If anyone wants me, I'll be in the transporter."

Twenty minutes later, Lightning returned to the garage after undergoing his physiotherapy session. Jaime and Craig had put in a reasonable performance for their final practice session, finishing tenth and twelfth respectively.

Kori and her camera car approached Lightning as he was being prepared for his qualifying round.

"Lightning, can I talk to you for a moment, please?"

"Sure."

"I haven't had a chance to interview you properly for a while now. Last time we spoke, you were very upset by Jimmy's death. How are you feeling now?"

"I think I've started to move past it," Lightning replied. "I've come into this event knowing that I just need to maintain my consistency, and then I should be well on track to putting in a decent challenge for the championship."

"Some of the commentators are already saying that you'll win the Development Series Championship. What do you make of that?"

"For me, it's still much too early to speculate about the championship. Paul's still a serious threat to my championship hopes, and Pither's starting to look strong, so I'm not to stress about it yet. Ask me about that after the Enduro events, and I'll be able to give you a more realistic answer."

"Your lovely wife, Sally, is here today. She doesn't often come to your races, does she?"

"I don't pressure her into coming to watch me. At least when she's at home, she's able to switch off the TV if she sees me doing something that frightens her. So far, that hasn't happened yet, but I know she'll support me whether she's at the track or not."

Outside in the pit lane, an air horn sounded.

"Sorry, but I've gotta go now," Lightning apologised.

"Okay. Thanks, Lightning. Good luck out there today."

"Thanks."

The racetrack at Queensland Raceway was exactly to Lightning's liking. It was known as 'the paperclip', because that's exactly what it looked like. Following Leyland's advice, Lightning went out hard and fast around the first sector of the racetrack, which resulted in him securing yet another pole position. He wasn't even puffed when he returned to the pits.

"Excellent work, Speedster," Leyland congratulated him upon his return. "Keep racing like that, and we should have a good race later this arvo. You can go chill out now, but make sure you're back here by three o'clock at the latest. Your race starts at three-thirty."

Lightning spent the next few hours with Sally in the VIP area. He had a great view of the racetrack, so he could watch the other support races, and enjoy a delicious lunch in the meantime.

"I'm glad you didn't tell Kori our news," Sally said as they watched the Championship Series racers batting it out in qualifying.

"It's none of her business," Lightning replied with a shrug. "I want to keep my personal life as private as possible."

"Good. After all, we should keep some aspects of our life together out of the media."

Lightning planted a small kiss on Sally's lips. "At least my DNA has been frozen now, so if anything does happen to me out there…"

"It won't though. Leyland won't let you do anything stupid."

Lightning kissed her again.

"Oi!" a familiar voice said loudly. "Find a room!"

Laughing, Lightning turned to face Paul. "If that's what you want. Sal? I think the transporter's empty right now…"

"Oh!" Sally exclaimed. "You are impossible, you know that!"

Lightning and Paul laughed heartily.

"Jamie told me you're about to start a family," Paul said once the laughter had died down. "Congratulations."

"Thanks. The baby's not due to be built until mid-April."

"Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?"

"Boy," Lightning and Sally replied in unison. They grinned at each other. Paul rolled his eyes.

"Let me guess. He'll be raised as a future Piston Cup racer?"

Lightning shrugged innocently. "Considering our baby will be an Australian citizen, he could just as easily end up racing in the V8s."

…

Craig and Jamie ended up qualifying in 5th and 10th place for Race 18, but then Craig won pole position for Race 19, with Jamie qualifying in 8th. Leyland looked rather pleased with everyone's results, but he didn't say that aloud.

Race 18 for the Championship Series began at 4:25 that afternoon. Lightning watched the race from the pits, in the hope that he might pick up some extra tips. He watched closely to see when Craig and Jamie chose to brake, and where they chose to accelerate. Everyone was pretty pleased to see Craig take third place on the podium, while Jamie finished a respectable eighth.

"Tightening his antiroll-bars before each race seems to be doing the trick," Leyland mused afterwards, while the Championship racers made their way back to the pits.

"We can't keep doing it forever though," Dutto pointed out. "I want Jamie to have that surgery after the races at Sydney Motorsport Park."

"I know." Leyland turned to Lightning, who'd just removed his headset. "Are you ready to race, Speedster?"

"Yup! Let's do this."

…

Lightning managed to get a brilliant start off the line for his first race of the weekend. Clearly, all of the practices he'd done in his driveway at home had paid off. He had no idea what went on behind him, but he didn't care. By the second corner, he'd managed to establish a solid lead. He knew that all he had to do was stay ahead of Paul.

He did, and he ended up with yet another solid win, putting him well ahead of Paul on points.

"Great work, Speedster," Leyland praised afterwards. "You can head on home now, if you like, or you can stay and watch Craig and Jamie race."

"I think I'll head home," Lightning replied. "I'll see Doctor Anderson first though. I don't want to wake up stiff and sore tomorrow, and not be able to race properly. I'll phone Craig after the race to see how he and Jamie went. See you all tomorrow."


	46. Chapter 46 - Day 2 at Ipswich - Part 1

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 46 – Day 2 at Queensland Raceway – Part 1

 **Ipswich Supersprint, Day 2 – Queensland Raceway, Willowbank, Queensland – 53 Kms west of Brisbane – Sunday, 2 August, 2015**

"Morning, everyone," Lightning said enthusiastically as he drove into the team's pit garage. Surprised by Lightning's early arrival, Dutto accidentally dropped the clipboard he was holding. Chuckling, Lightning held out the tray of coffees he was carrying on his side. "Sorry to startle you, Dutto. I think you need a coffee. Yours is the one on the front left. No sugar, right?"

"Yeah," Dutto replied as he took it. "Thanks. What's this all about?"

"Nothing! I promise. I just happened to have had a great night's sleep with Sally, and I just wanted to thank you guys in a small way for the work you're doing this weekend. Grant? You like extra froth with yours, don't you?"

"Yes, thank you," Grant said as he took his drink.

"I'm still sure that there's something behind this," Dutto muttered as he took a sip.

"Can't I be nice without a reason?" Lightning asked, looking hurt.

"Oh, I'm sorry I'm so suspicious, Speedster. It's just that, you're here an hour earlier than I expected, and you brought us coffees. It is a bit unusual for you."

"Craig told me over the phone last night that he came second in race nineteen, and that Jamie came fifth," Lightning said, deliberately changing the subject. "Is that correct?"

"Yes," Dutto replied with a smile. "They both did very well. Leyland's hoping to have similar or better results from them today."

"Morning, everyone," Leyland said as he drove inside the pit garage. He did a double-take when he saw Lightning standing beside Dutto. "What are you doing here so early?"

"I was just asking him the same thing," Dutto chuckled.

Lightning turned his tray towards Leyland. "You like your coffee black with sugar, right?"

"Er…yes. Thank you. I wasn't expecting this." He took a sip. "You haven't had any, have you?"

"No, I've got my protein drinks," Lightning replied as he tossed the empty tray aside. "I suppose I'd better go grab some breakfast before it all disappears. See you guys later."

Once Lightning had gone, Leyland and Dutto exchanged surprised glances.

"He doesn't want anything from us, does he?" Leyland asked.

"Nope. But he did thank us for all our work this weekend. I'm glad he did that, because not many racers actually thank their team verbally. It's implied, but rarely said."

"I think he's just trying to butter me up," Leyland winked.

"Well, whatever his motives, he's obviously keen to have a good day today, so let's not spoil it for him. After all, a racer in a good mood is a racer who wins races."

…

At precisely nine-thirty, Lightning and the rest of the Development Series racers took their places on the grid to prepare for their warm-up lap before the race start. Because Lightning had won the race the day before, he was in pole position again today. While Leyland and some of the pit crew made some final adjustments to Lightning's antiroll-bars, Kori and her trusty camera car pushed their way through the crowd, so she could interview Lightning again.

"Good morning, Lightning. You've got an early race time today, which is rather unusual for you. I don't think I've ever seen you race this early in the morning before. Are you feeling confident?"

"I am, actually. I had a great night's sleep at home, and I've got my wife here watching me again, so yeah, I should be able to have a good run today."

An air horn sounded, indicating that it was time for everyone, except for the racers, to leave the grid.

"Thanks, Lightning," Kori said, ending the interview.

It took about a minute to clear the grid. Once everyone had gone, Lightning waited for permission to begin the warm-up lap. He took off at a restricted pace as soon as he was told he could go.

As Lightning finished leading the field around for the warm-up lap, Leyland talked him into his place on the grid.

"Three…two…keep going… Just a couple of feet… Keep going, keep going…and stop! Well done. Good luck. You've got Paul directly behind you. He's the one you're racing today. Okay, we've got the green flag now…"

Lightning gave his engine a couple of revs. The instant the lights went out, he took off. It was a clean, fast start for Lightning. In his rear-view mirrors, he saw Paul get overtaken and drop back to fourth.

"Great start, speedster," Leyland praised over the radio. "Just settle down now."

"Copy that."

Lightning dominated the race, increasing his margin with every lap. Paul got caught up in the battle pack, which helped Lightning enormously. But then, on lap thirteen out of nineteen, Golding locked up at turn six, taking Dixon into the sand trap with him. For the spectators, it was an amusing spectacle to see them both go off in almost perfect synchronisation.

"Lightning, the safety car is being deployed," Leyland informed him over the radio.

Seeing the yellow flags, Lightning had already begun to slow down. As he came around the track, he saw Dixon manage to get out of the sand trap, and back onto the track in front of him. Golding was given a tow out of the sand by a tow track. Lightning was glad to see that neither of them had been hurt.

The safety car left the track on lap sixteen. As he led the field towards turn six, Leyland gave Lightning permission to start accelerating. Lightning responded quickly, giving him an immediate 0.6 second advantage over Andrew Jones, who was in second place.

Believing that he had the race in the bag, Lightning continued trying to increase his lead. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Renee Gracie go off, followed a few seconds later by Kean at a different corner.

"Lightning…" Leyland began to say over the radio, but then he added, "Never mind. We'll discuss it post-race."

"Whatever," Lightning muttered. He knew Leyland wouldn't have heard him.

Lightning won the race by a clear margin. But when he returned to the pit garage, he found Leyland looking rather flustered.

"What's going on?" he asked innocently.

"The officials want to see you immediately!" Leyland snapped. "They're claiming that you had a safety car breach, but they won't tell us what that breach is!"

Lightning frowned. "I'll go and see them. I might be able to talk my way out of it."

"How can you, when you don't even know what you've done wrong?" Leyland asked as Lightning drove away. Lightning didn't bother to reply.

On his way up the small hill to the CAMS tower that overlooked the racetrack, Lightning replayed his time behind the safety car. As far as he could remember, he'd done everything correctly.

 _Maybe I wove around too much_ , he thought. _Or maybe I exceeded the safety car speed limit a fraction. Whatever it is, I hope it won't be bad._

When Lightning arrived at the CAMS tower, he was taken into a small room where the Development Series Director, Michael Masi, and the Investigating Officer, Jason Cargwanna, were waiting for him. Jason was reviewing footage of the restart on a large TV screen.

"What did I do wrong?" Lightning asked as he parked at the small table in the centre of the room.

"We're still analysing the footage," Michael answered. "But at this stage, it appears as though you accelerated while the yellow flags were still displayed."

Lightning drew in a short breath. "I didn't see any yellow flags. Leyland told me to go as I approached turn six, so I did. From what I could tell, it was a proper restart."

Michael nodded. "I understand that, but if you look at our footage, you accelerated at least three seconds too early. The yellow flags are clearly visible as you turn into turn six, and you were already accelerating by then."

"So were Andrew Jones, Jack LeBroc and Paul Drivewell," Jason interjected as he paused the video footage. "They all accelerated when you did, so they'll be penalised too."

A tight knot formed in Lightning's tank. "How much is the fine?"

Jason shook his front. "Uh, uh. Everyone's getting tired of me handing out fines as penalties. Breaches of the safety car procedure are very serious matters, so it's time we set an example. I think it's time we went back to giving out grid position penalties."

"I was just doing what my Crew Chief told me to do!" Lightning protested.

"Be that as it may, he should know better," Michael said firmly.

Jason parked himself at the table, and he met Lightning's gaze. "Lightning McQueen. I am officially giving you a ten Grid Spot penalty for the start of the next race, which is scheduled to begin at twelve-forty this afternoon. That means, you'll be starting from the sixth row on the grid, in eleventh position."

 **Wow! That was a marathon! Three chapters in just one day! I'm on a roll! If I keep writing at this pace, I should, hopefully, be finished this story before the end of the year. I've decided that Part 2 of this story will be called 'Lightning the V8 Supercar'. Stay tuned for it!**


	47. Chapter 47 - Day 2 at Ipswich - Part 2

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 47 – Day 2 at Queensland Raceway – Part 2

 **Ipswich Supersprint, Day 2 – Queensland Raceway, Willowbank, Queensland – 53 Kms west of Brisbane – Sunday, 2 August, 2015**

On his way back to the pits, Lightning took out his frustrations on a discarded empty oil can. Luckily, his years playing soccer as a child meant that his aim wasn't too bad, and it skidded harmlessly underneath another teams' transporter.

"Nice shot," a familiar voice said behind him.

Scowling, Lightning turned to face Paul. "What do you want?"

"Nothing. I'm just on my way to see the officials. Is that where you've just come from?"

Lightning glanced down at the ground. "Yeah."

"Do you know why they want to see me?"

"Yeah."

"Is it bad?"

"Yeah."

Paul's lips twitched as he tried to suppress the urge to laugh. "Uh, Lightning? I think your needle's stuck in the groove!"

"What?"

Paul finally couldn't contain himself, and he burst out laughing. Without bothering to say another word, he drove away.

Sighing heavily, Lightning returned to the Redbulldozer Racing pit garage, where he told Leyland and Dutto what Jason had said.

"That's insane!" Dutto exclaimed. "Why couldn't he just fine you?"

"Jason, or Bargs as I know you call him, said that he was getting tired of always dealing out fines, and he wanted to make an example out of me," Lightning explained bitterly.

"He must have gotten out of the wrong door of his garage this morning," Dutto muttered. He glanced at his boss. "Leyland? What do you make of this?"

"This is all my fault," Leyland muttered with an exasperated sigh. "I should've been paying better attention to the flags. I'm sorry Lightning. I didn't mean to let you down."

Craig drove over to the group. "Sorry, but I couldn't help overhearing what you said. Leyland, mistakes are a part of racing. Not even crew chiefs are perfect. You've seen Grant and Dutto give both Jamie and myself information that has cost us everything from lap times to drive-through penalties, but we always work around it and move on. And who knows? This could be a blessing in disguise."

"How do you mean?" Lightning asked curiously.

"Don't you see? This is a perfect opportunity to show everyone just how good you really are. You're always on the front row of the grid, so if you can start from mid-field and still end up on the podium, well… It'll give the fans something to talk about, if nothing else."

A smirk formed on Dutto's face. "Leyland? Do you feel confident about being Lightning's crew chief for the next race?"

"I guess so," Leyland shrugged.

"Then, may I join you as co-crew chief? Please. Lightning's a lot like Jamie in the way he likes to race, so I'll be able to show you exactly how to advise Lightning whenever he's out there. And since he's starting from the sixth row of the grid for the first time ever in this series, I'd like to help as much as I can."

"All right, Dutto," Leyland agreed. "But only if Lightning's okay with it."

"Sure," Lightning shrugged. "Why not? I think I'll need all the help I can get."

…

A couple of hours later, while Lightning was over at the Redbulldozer Racing Australia merchandise tent to sign autographs, Craig and Jamie joined the rest of the Championship racers for their qualifying round for the final race of the weekend. To the team's surprise, and delight, Craig and Jamie qualified in third and fourth respectively.

"Great work, guys!" Leyland praised once they'd returned to the pit garage. "This should make things interesting for the race later this arvo."

Behind them, they heard a commotion over at one of the transporters. Curious, Craig, and Jamie went to see what was going on. It wasn't easy to see where the problem was. A small crowd had already gathered around outside Jason Bright's transporter, and the media were clearly having a field day.

Frosty emerged from Bright's transporter, still shouting. "Just stay out of my way if you know what's good for you!"

Seeing the crowd in front of him, Frosty scowled before pushing his way through. Bright then emerged from the transporter.

"You wouldn't have gotten on pole anyway!"

"What happened?" someone in the crowd asked.

"Frosty accused Bright of deliberately getting in his way during the qualifying," the car beside Craig replied. "Frosty thinks he'd have been on pole if he hadn't been caught up in Bright's fumes."

"Okay, everyone!" an official said loudly. "The excitement's over! You can all go on with whatever you were doing."

Craig and Jamie decided to go and grab some lunch while they had the chance. Turning, they saw Lightning approaching.

"What's going on?" Lightning asked.

"Nothing much," Craig shrugged. "Good luck out there."

"Thanks. I'm actually looking forward to this race now. I need the thrill of a decent challenge."

…

About ten minutes later, Lightning found himself in mid-field on the starting grid. In the background, he could hear the commentators speculating over the loudspeakers about the penalties, and wondering why only the top four racers had been penalised.

"They all went when Lightning went," one of them said. "So why wasn't everyone penalised?"

"Obviously, Bargs decided to come down hard on them today. Lightning was given a ten grid position penalty, while LeBroc and Andrew Jones were given three, and Paul was given a two spot penalty. Please, bear with us while we try to sort out the new grid order."

"I must say, it looks strange to see Lightning starting from so far back. This should be a very interesting race. I can't wait to see if he's really as good as everyone says he is."

Glancing around, Lightning realised that he didn't even know who any of the racers near him were. He was alongside a rookie named Matt Chahda. They eyed each other off for a moment, until Leyland interrupted Lightning's thoughts by talking over the radio.

"Green flag, Lightning, green flag."

Lightning revved his engine far more aggressively than he needed to. Because of the angle of the sun, he couldn't really see the lights, so he had to wait until the racers in front of him started moving. He had an average start, and was momentarily caught up behind some of the other racers. Seeing a gap on the right, he dived into it, overtaking two racers in the process, and elevating him into ninth.

"Good job, Speedster," Dutto praised. "Try to avoid getting hit. Some of those rookies can get pretty wild."

"Huh! No kidding!" Lightning muttered in response.

As Lightning went around turn two, he saw a racer get spun around behind him. Wanting to get away from all the chaos going on around him, Lightning turned on his headlights. That indicated that he was racing at qualifying pace, which was faster than the usual racing pace.

"Where's Paul?" Lightning asked over the radio after he'd completed his second lap.

"He's currently in fourth," Dutto replied. "Keep going. Your lap times are looking good so far."

By lap four, Lightning managed to neatly overtake three more racers, and he settled into fifth position. Hearing the roar of the crowd as he tore down the home straight again, he knew that they were loving what they saw.

On lap six, Lightning had closed the gap between himself and LeBroc, who was racing in fourth now that Paul had advanced into second place. Coming down the home straight, Lightning pushed himself as hard as he could, and he only just managed to overtake LeBroc right before the first corner. Grinning, he set his sights on Pederson, who was currently in third.

"You're doing great, Speedster," Dutto said over the radio. "But I think you should settle down now. Don't forget, you're racing on an old set of tyres, and if they delaminate now, you won't finish the race."

Lightning exhaled deeply with frustration before replying, "Copy that, Dutto."

Despite Dutto's warning, Lightning continued racing at qualifying pace. As a result, he clocked up the fastest lap times, being around half a second faster than everyone else. That meant that, on lap nine, Lightning was able to neatly overtake Pederson at turn five. Pederson had seen him coming up quickly behind him, and had moved over for him.

"Great work, Lightning!" Leyland praised. "If you keep going at that pace, you could still win this race."

"Seriously?" Lightning asked in surprise.

"Yeah. You've got ten laps to go."

With renewed determination, Lightning continued trying to close the gap between himself and Paul.

By the start of lap twelve, Lightning had closed the gap to just half a second. But then, things went from bad to worse. During a momentary lapse in concentration, Lightning accidentally ran wide at turn one, causing both of his left-hand wheels to go off into the dirt. He would've been fine if it hadn't been for the rock. It was flicked up sideways by his front tyre, causing it to fly up and hit Lightning's front left axle.

Grunting sharply in pain, Lightning managed to pull himself back onto the tarmac. However, he'd lost some of the precious time he'd spent trying to catch up with Paul, and he was now over two seconds behind him. He could just imagine what Leyland was thinking right now.

While Lightning struggled to catch up with Paul, the stresses placed on his bruised axle caused it to become increasingly painful. Knowing that Leyland would force him out of the race if he told him that he was injured, Lightning pressed on. Two laps later, he had somehow managed to catch up a little bit, and was now only a second behind Paul.

But just when it looked like Lightning might catch up to Paul, Dutto jumped on the radio.

"Lightning? You really need to watch your tyres. You'll be lucky to get another five laps out of them. You need to ease off, okay mate? You've done the best you can, given the circumstances."

"Okay," Lightning sighed, trying hard not to sound like he was in pain. A wince escaped from his lips just as his axle was jolted badly going over a kerb.

"Is everything okay?" Leyland asked him with concern.

"Yeah…no… I think I bruised my axle on a rock or something. It only hurts when I jolt it."

"That sounds worse than just a bruise," Leyland mused. "Finish the race, and then we'll get Doctor Andrews to take a look at it."

Realising that he now had nothing to lose, Lightning began to push himself again. With just two laps left to go, he managed to catch up to being just half a second behind Paul again. Seeing that Lightning had started to push him, Paul blocked him skilfully down the back straight. If he'd expected Lightning to be intimidated by that, he was in for a nasty surprise, because Lightning kept coming. Caught off-guard, Paul accidentally ran wide at turn six, allowing Lightning the opportunity to momentarily get his nose in front.

"Oh, no you don't!" Paul growled as he accelerated, cutting back in front of Lightning.

Lightning didn't bother replying. He was in a lot of pain by now, and it took most of his concentration to fight against it. What had begun as nothing more than a twinge was now throbbing badly.

On the final lap, Paul ran wide at both turn one and turn three. Both times, Lightning made an attempt to overtake, but he was at his limits. His injured axle couldn't take much more punishment, and he couldn't run the risk of going too fast and causing a potential accident. So, Lightning waited for his final chance to try and overtake Paul – on the home straight.

As Lightning and Paul raced around turn six, they could hear the deafening roar of the crowd, cheering the racers on. Gritting his teeth with fierce determination, Lightning made his final charge. To his great annoyance, Paul blocked him again. A second later, they crossed the finish line. Pither had won by a clear margin, followed by Paul, and then Lightning.

By the time the racers had returned to the pits, Lightning was limping ominously. He made it through the trophy presentation with a grin on his face, however, he refused to speak to any of the waiting media. Forcing their way through the crowd, Leyland and Dutto escorted Lightning over to the first aid room, where Dr Lee and Dr Andrews were already waiting for him.

"Okay, Speedster," Dr Andrews said once Leyland and Dutto had gone to deal with the media. "Let's get you up onto the lift so we can take a look at what you've done to yourself."

"Can I have a drink first, please?" Lightning asked wearily.

"Just a sip," Dr Lee said, and he pushed a can of oil in Lightning's direction. "Just in case we need to operate on you straight away."

"It's just bruised," Lightning protested.

"You don't limp with a bruise," Dr Lee pointed out.

After Lightning had had his sip of oil, he drove onto the hydraulic lift, so the doctors could begin examining him. Dr Lee gently poked and prodded at Lightning's axle with various tools, while Dr Andrews watched on quietly.

"I think we'd better x-ray it," Dr Lee finally said. "It's difficult to tell, but I think there might be a stress fracture there."

"Oh, no!" Lightning groaned miserably.

"Cheer up," Dr Andrews soothed. "At least a stress fracture heals faster than a full fracture."

Once Dr Lee had taken the x-rays, they had to wait for about ten minutes while they developed. During the wait, Dr Lee let Sally visit with Lightning. She'd been waiting outside the first aid room as soon as she knew Lightning had been take there.

"I'm sure it's nothing, Sal," Lightning tried to reassure her. "I was hit by a little rock. It couldn't have caused that much damage…"

"I know. I just hate to see you get hurt," Sally replied, nuzzling up to him.

Dr Lee and Dr Andrews finally drove over to them.

"I'm sorry, Lightning, but I have some bad news. Your front left axle has a hairline stress fracture. I don't think you'll need to be hospitalised, but I will give you some mild painkillers. You'll be required to wear a full axle brace for the next two weeks, and you won't be allowed to drive at all during that time."

"WHAT?" Lightning exclaimed in disbelief. "I can't drive for the next TWO WEEKS?"

Do Lee nodded. "I'm afraid so. After that, if it's healing well, Dr Andrews can fit a lighter brace that you can wear for the following month. All being well after that, you should be able to resume racing. I'm sorry, but in racing, we just don't take risks with axles. I'll turn you over to Doctor Andrews' care now."

"Thanks," Lightning mumbled. Louder, he said, "Just what am I supposed to do for the next fortnight if I can't drive?"

"We could always spend more time alone together," Sally suggested seductively.

Lightning returned the seductive glance. Dr Andrews raised his eyelids in surprise.

"I'll, uh… I'll just go and make sure Leyland doesn't need me," he said as he drove out of the room.

After he'd gone, Lightning and Sally burst into a fit of hysterical laughter!

 **Sorry I took a bit long to update. I intended to do so over the weekend, but then things got in the way, and I was too tired to do so. Oh well. This chapter's done now. I altered it from what I'd originally planned, so it included some more action. After reviewing footage of this race, I realised that for Lightning to suffer another injury was very plausible, considering the nature of this racetrack. When I went on the trackwalk, I noticed a lot of small rocks on the edge of the tarmac, so it is likely for them to fly up underneath the cars if the happen to go off. I just made the end result a bit more dramatic, so I hope everyone enjoys it. Looking forward to reading what everyone thinks of this new drama for Lightning.**


	48. Chapter 48 - News from Radiator Springs

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 48 – News from Radiator Springs

 **Lightning and Sally's Mansion, Rochedale, 17 kms south of Brisbane – Wednesday, 12 August, 2015**

"Lightning, will you please keep still?" Sally scolded crossly. "Doctor Lee told you how important it is for you to keep that axle as still as possible, or you could make the crack worse."

"I can't help it, Sal," Lightning sighed. "I'm just tired of being cooped up inside this room! Can't I at least go outside for a few hours, please?"

"No! Absolutely not! I'll have Doctor Andrews come and give you another dose of sedative if you don't stop moving that axle."

Before Lightning could protest further, his phone rang. "Hello?"

" _Hi Lightning_ ," Elinor said. " _How are you feeling now? I hope you're not as sore as you were last week?_ "

"No, but I am very bored. How's everyone doing?"

" _We're all fine. Mater would like to speak to you for a moment though, if that's okay?_ "

"Sure."

" _Hey, buddy_ ," Mater began. " _How's yer axle goin'?_ "

"The doctors all say it's healing well, but it'll be a few more weeks before I'll be allowed to race again." Lightning couldn't help but notice the sadness in Mater's voice. "Is something wrong?"

" _What? Nah, it's okay, bud. I'll lets yous speak ta yer ma again._ "

Elinor got back onto the phone. " _I have something important to tell you._ "

"Okay, but before you do, what's up with Mater?"

" _Oh, someone just said something to upset him, that's all. He'll get over it. It wasn't all that bad, really. Listen, uh, Susan phoned me earlier today. Your uncle's dead._ "

"What? Uncle Peter?"

" _Yes. Apparently, he committed suicide, but I find that hard to believe, considering he was both disabled and blind._ "

"What does Aunt Susan think happened?"

" _She thinks he asked one of the other inmates to kill him. If that's the case, it's unlikely the authorities will pursue the matter further. They'll just say he committed suicide, to avoid further problems._ "

"I can't say I feel sorry for him, considering what he took from us. I guess I am disappointed that he won't rot in there forever."

" _He served over eight years at least._ "

"He was given a life sentence though! He barely served a tenth of it!"

Elinor gave an exasperated sigh. " _Look, I know all that, Lightning. I prefer to look at it this way. He spent as long as I did, rotting away in prison. He did have it a lot worse than I did, considering how helpless he was. At least Susan is now free to remarry if she wishes to._ "

"Yeah. I hope she chooses someone who's at least worthy of her."

" _Mhm_ … _Oh, and speaking of remarriages, I think the time has come for me to tell you that I've decided to marry again._ "

"WHAT? I didn't even know you were dating again!"

" _Yes, well, it's happened almost as fast as my engagement to Doc…_ "

"Well, who is he?"

" _His name is Doctor Bruce Payne. A few months ago, the town voted to get a new doctor. Considering I'm only a nurse, I agreed that it was sensible to have a proper doctor as well. When Doctor Payne arrived, we got along well from the beginning, and before long, we became more than colleagues. Anyway, last week he asked me to marry him in front of the entire town, and I agreed. I'm tired of living alone, Lightning. And, to be honest, I've been wanting to give you a sibling for a very long time._ "

Lightning could scarcely believe what he'd just heard. "WHAT? No mum! You can't be thinking about having a baby, especially at your age! You can barely keep up with me!"

" _To be fair, you are a race car. With Jaguar Syndrome, if I might add. And, providing our baby doesn't have Jaguar Syndrome as well, I should be able to handle it. This is MY decision Lightning. Please remember that you are my son, and you CAN'T tell me what to do._ "

Deeply hurt, Lightning said nothing for a moment. He was glad that Sally was no longer in the room. Finally, he sighed in defeat.

"You're right, mum. I'm only your son. I haven't had enough life experience to tell you what to do. So, what is this Doctor Payne like?" _He's got THE worst possible name a doctor could ever have, for a start,_ he added to himself.

" _He's a lot like Doc was, in many ways, except he's a lot younger. Uh, in fact, he's only twenty-nine years old…_ "

Poor Lightning felt like he'd just been slapped across his jaw. "YOU'RE ENGAGED TO SOMONE WHO'S ONLY TWO YEARS OLDER THAN ME?" he heard himself shouting into the phone. "MUM! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?"

" _Don't you dare shout at me, Lightning Blaze McQueen!" Elinor snapped. "I can marry whoever I like! Age is immaterial, because the most important thing is that a couple can get along well with each other. I love Bruce, and I hope that, in time, you'll come to like him too._ "

Lightning bit his tongue for a few seconds. He seriously doubted that! "Well, what type of car is he?"

" _He's a 1986 Ford Mustang. And he's white, of course, since he's a doctor._ "

Lightning let out a low groan. "Why couldn't he be a Chevrolet?"

" _Why?_ "

"Because in Australia, that's pretty much the same as a Holden. Didn't I tell you about the Holden verses Ford rivalry over here? Actually, come to think of it, I might enjoy seeing him get booed for driving into the Holden camp."

" _Oh, really, Lightning! That's so petty_."

"Tell that to all the racing fans here… I'm serious! Sometime, it gets so bad that you can see a divide in the spectators; blue on one side of the track and red on the other. They now also have a black section for the Nissan fans, but there aren't that many of them yet."

Elinor sighed tiredly. " _I'm afraid I have to go now. Oh wait. Mater would like another word with you. We'll talk again soon, okay? Take care. Bye._ "

"Bye mum."

A second later, Mater spoke. " _Hey again, bud. I jist wanted ta speak ta yer alone fer a moment, is dat okay wisth ya?_ "

"Of course. Are you alone?"

" _Yeah. Yer ma's jist left da room. I'll be quick. Ta tells ya da truth, I don't really like Doctor Payne._ "

"Why?"

" _He said he'd not treat me ifs I ever got sick, and den he called me a heap of junk._ "

"WHAT? Oh, Mater! That's horrible."

" _Yeah. Guess dat's jist what I wanted ta tell ya. Lucky I ain't never been sick, right?_ "

Lightning had to chuckle in spite of himself. "And hopefully, you never will be. I really miss you, Mater."

" _Me too, bud. When's ya coming home? Fer a visit, I means?_ "

"I'm not sure yet, Mater, sorry. Next year's going to be even bigger for me, what with racing in the Championship Series, and Sal and I expecting our first baby. And now to cap it all, my mum's getting married – again!"

" _Yeah, I knows 'bout dat. Sorry, but I'ds better go now. We'lls talk again soon, okay?_ "

"Sure, Mater. Bye."

" _Bye bud._ "

As soon as Lightning hung up the phone, he started to drive forwards to go and find Sally, momentarily forgetting about his injured axle in the process.

"OW!" Lightning's yelp could be heard all over the house. Seconds later, Sally, Mr Hood and Gracie all came racing into the bedroom. They all began fussing over him at once.

"Oh, Stickers! I told you not to move!"

"You HAVE to keep still, sir!"

"Do you want me to phone Doctor Andrews?"

"No!" Lightning snapped. "I just want to talk to my wife alone for a few minutes, please."

"I'll get you some ice anyway," Gracie said as she followed Mr Hood out of the room.

Once they were alone, Lightning looked at Sally. She was confused. His expression was one she'd never seen before. He looked furious, and yet tears had formed in the corners of his eyes.

"What's wrong, Stickers? I heard you shouting on the phone. Is everything all right?"

"No. Mum's getting married again… To a toy boy, of all things!"

"Well, that's not the end of the world. She was bound to get married again, sooner or later."

"He's TWO YEARS older than me!"

Sally reeled back in surprise. "Wow! No wonder you're so upset. You do need to settle down though. I don't think your axle will be able to take anymore punishment today."

"And what's worse, he completely insulted poor Mater!" Lightning continued as Sally gently tucked the blankets around him. "Nobody insults my best friend and gets away with it! What's this you're giving me?" he added as Sally held a couple of pills out to him.

"Just sleeping tablets. Doctor Andrews told me to give them too you if you became too restless or excitable. So far, you haven't needed them, because you spent nearly all of last week sedated. Take them, please."

Lightning pulled a face. "You know I hate taking medicine."

"It's not medicine. Now, please take them. He's some water you can swallow them with."

Reluctantly, Lightning took the pills. Then he settled down to sleep.

"Sorry I'm such a nuisance," he muttered as the pills began to take effect.

"You'll never be a nuisance to me, Stickers," Sally gently assured him.

 **Sorry I took a while to update. I've been working on other projects, including a novella I finally finished last night. Yay! It's taken me about a year to write, but at least I'll be able to start writing the next book in the series while this one's being edited. And yesterday (Dec 17), I had my graduation ceremony! Double yay! I've finally finished uni completely! Now, I just need to find a fun writing job, hehe!**

 **In reply to Guest's comments about Paul blocking Lightning during the race at Ipswich: Blocking is allowed in the V8 Supercars, although they do have many strict rule about how it is to be done. Only about half of the blocks undertaken during races are done 'legally'. Paul's blocks were legit, since Lightning wasn't quite close enough to overtake him. All Paul was really doing was reminding Lightning that he wasn't going to give up his track position without a fight. I'm sorry I didn't explain that better. Paul is a very well respected veteran in the Development Series, and he doesn't race like Chick Hicks did. He knows when to give up a position fight. I hope that makes things a bit clearer for you.**


	49. Chapter 49 - Lightning's Request

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 49 – Lightning's Request

 **Triple Eight Race Engineering Team Headquarters – Banyo, Brisbane, Australia – Monday, 17 August, 2015.**

"There. How does that feel now?" Dr Andrews asked as he secured the final strap around Lightning's injured axle. He'd fitted the brace to Lightning's axle at his home the day before, but Lightning had arrived at the team's headquarters complaining that it was a bit too loose. And so, Dr Andrews had just finished adjusting it.

'That's much better, thank you. I can't understand why it was so loose. It felt fine when you fitted it to me yesterday."

"Your axle was probably still a bit swollen yesterday, that's why."

"Can I resume training again today, please?"

Dr Andrews shook his front. "Absolutely not! Just because you're on a lighter brace, it doesn't mean you can start being stupid. You can drive again now, but not over a hundred kilometres an hour, and even that's pushing it. Your axle isn't healed yet, and it won't be for at least another month. We're lucky your next race isn't until Sandown, which is just under a month away, so we'll have just enough time to prepare you for that. We'll resume your training on the first of September. I wish I could let you rest that axle for another week longer than that, but if we did, you wouldn't be fit enough to handle the endurance races."

Lightning nodded in understanding. "Will it be strong enough for me to travel by next week?"

"Why do you ask? Are you thinking of going on holidays?

Lightning shrugged. "Maybe. I've got some things I need to sort out back in the States. I was going to talk to Leyland about it today, but if my axle isn't strong enough…"

"I think it should be okay, providing you just take things easy. Are you going to take Sally with you?"

"If she wants to come, I'd love to have her come with me. I haven't discussed this with her yet, because I didn't want to raise her hopes, and then dash them if Leyland says no."

"Well, I hope she does go with you, because she knows how to look after you properly."

Someone knocked on the door then.

"Come in!" Dr Andrews called while he pressed the button that lowered the hydraulic lift. Lightning drove off the lift just as Jamie entered the room.

"Oh! Lightning!" Jamie exclaimed with surprise. "I didn't realise you were back in training."

"I'm not," Lightning told him. "I only came in today to see Leyland, but I also needed my brace adjusted, so Doctor Andrews was kind enough to take care of that for me."

"Well, that's good," Jamie replied with a smile. "I'm glad to see you're healing well. Broken axles are never fun."

"No kidding! I guess I was lucky it was only a hairline fracture. What are you here for?"

"The same problem I've had for the last few months. Doctor Andrews wants to run some more tests on my antiroll bars. Even though he now knows what the problem is, he wants to find out the cause so it doesn't happen again after I get my new antiroll bars."

"You're getting a complete new set of antiroll bars?" Lightning asked, eyes wide in shock.

Jamie shifted nervously. "Yeah. The thread's completely gone in my current ones, which is why they won't adjust properly."

Lightning winced. Remembering how much agony he'd been in after his antiroll bars had been installed, he understood why Jamie was so nervous about his pending operation. "How long will you be out for?"

"About three weeks. I'll spend about a week in hospital after the surgery, and then I'll stay with Leyland again, while I recuperate. Doctor Andrews won't let me stay by myself, in case something goes wrong."

"It's better to be safe than sorry," Lightning said.

Jamie shrugged. "I guess. I'm just so used to living independently. I don't like being babied."

Dr Andrews drove back over to them. "I've just phoned Leyland for you, Lightning. He can see you now, if you like. He'll meet you in the cafeteria."

"Thanks. I'll see you later, Jamie."

"Yeah."

As Lightning headed down the hallway towards the cafeteria, he thought about how Craig and Jamie had done in their final race at Ipswich. He'd ended up watching it from the first aid room. Craig had done really well, finishing in second place. Jamie had started strongly, but he'd faded during the dying laps, no doubt because of his antiroll bars. Lightning sighed heavily to himself.

 _Poor Jamie_ , he thought. _I hope his new antiroll bars do the trick, because I'd hate to see him suffer for no reason._

Leyland was talking to the team's financial manager when Lightning arrived at the cafeteria. He beckoned for Lightning to join them. Lightning grabbed one of his protein drinks out of the fridge before he did so.

"How's your axle healing?" Leyland asked.

"It's getting there. I'm off the painkillers now, and it's not been bothering me too much, so that's good. Doctor Andrews said I can resume training on the first of September."

"That's good, because I need you to be at your very best coming into Sandown. Not just for yourself, of course, but Craig will be relying heavily on you."

"I know that, and that's why I've spent the last two weeks doing exactly what Doctor Andrews wants me to do. I have a couple of questions though…"

"Oh? And what are they?"

"I was wondering if I could take some time off, please? I need to return to the States to sort out a few things, and since I can't do much right now, I was thinking of going next week. I'll only need a week over there to get everything done."

Leyland nodded thoughtfully. "Sure, I don't have a problem with that. Feeling a bit homesick again, huh?"

"No, not really… It's a family problem, that's all. I don't want to talk about it yet."

"That's okay. I understand. Did Doctor Andrews say you could travel?"

Lightning nodded. "I can arrange for a friend of mine to drive me around, that way I won't have to drive much."

"That sounds like a sensible plan. In that case, I don't see any reason why you can't go. Just look after yourself."

"I will, and thank you!"

"What was your second question? You said you had a couple of questions."

"Uh… I forget. Sorry."

"That's okay. Don't be afraid to ask me when you think of it."

"Oh! That's it! I've just remembered. When we were in Townsville, Strip Weathers asked me if I'd like to enter a Piston Cup race later this year, as a wildcard entry. I said I'd ask you first, but with everything that's happened lately, I forgot."

"You seem to have a talent for forgetting things, don't you?" Leyland teased. Then he turned serious again. "Normally, I'd say no to any of my full-time racers racing in other codes, but Strip already phoned and asked me. I said I'd let you decide. So, if you want to race in the Piston Cup, you can. But Lightning…" He inched forwards a little. "No unnecessary risks, understood? Your priority is to this team, and the Development Series."

"Don't worry, Leyland. I'm not even sure I really want to do it anyway. Not after Jimmy…" Lightning let the word linger. Seeing the distress in Lightning's eyes, Leyland softened.

"I thought you were getting over that?"

"I am. But that doesn't make the pain hurt less."

Leyland gently patted Lightning's side with his tyre. "I know. We've all suffered heartache in our lives. But you can't let that stop you doing something you love. Tell Strip that you'll race. Choose a race in November. That way, it won't clash with your Development Series commitments."

"Okay. Thanks for your support, Leyland. You're the best team boss I've ever had."

"Go on! Get out of here before we all become sentimental!"

Chuckling, Lightning finished his drink before heading towards the exit.


	50. Chapter 50 - The Confrontation

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 50 – The Confrontation

 **Route 66, near Radiator Springs – Monday, 24 August, 2015.**

"You kids comfortable back there?" Mack asked over the intercom as he drove steadily along the familiar stretch of road towards Radiator Springs.

"Oh, very snug, thank you," Sally replied, and she nuzzled up closer to Lightning's fender.

"Yeah, we're great back here, thanks Mack. How much longer until we arrive?"

"I can see Sherriff's front bumper peeking out from behind his sign right now," Mack replied.

As he drove past the sleeping sheriff, Mack let loose on his horn. The loud blast woke Sherriff suddenly, making him jump. He blinked in confusion as he watched Mack drive past, hauling Lightning's old trailer.

 _I must've drunk too much last night_ , Sherriff thought in bewilderment, before settling back down to sleep.

Minutes later, Mack entered the township of Radiator Springs. Grinning, he parked the trailer outside Flo's café.

"Hey! What yous all doin' with Lightnin's trailer?" Flo demanded to know.

As if on cue, lightning revved his engine inside the trailer. That immediately drew a crowd! When Lightning rolled down the ramp, everyone cheered.

"Yay! Lightnin's home! Lightnin's home!" Mater yelled, driving circles around his best friend.

"What-a you-a here for, Lightning?" Luigi asked. "You're-a supposed to-a be-a racing…in Australie!"

"Relax, guys," Lightning said as he drove further into the crowd. "My next race isn't for a few weeks yet, so Leyland gave me some time off. Where's my mother?"

"She's inside the clinic, sweetie," Flo replied. "Would you like me to phone her, to let her know you're here?"

"No, thanks. I'd rather surprise her."

Lightning didn't see Flo cringe as he drove away towards the clinic. He paused for a moment outside the building. Sure enough, his mother had enlarged it, just like she's said she would. Unfortunately, it no longer looked like Doc's clinic anymore.

 _This Dr Payne has a lot to answer for,_ Lightning thought with a scowl. _Well, here goes…_

Lightning burst inside the clinic. And immediately regretted it. In the centre of the waiting room, his mother was passionately kissing another car, who Lightning could easily guess was Dr Payne.

As soon as Elinor saw Lightning, she broke off the kiss. Scowling, Dr Payne spun around.

"Gees! Don't you ever knock? I can't tolerate vehicles who just barge in like that! If you were my son, you'd be thoroughly punished for intruding like this!"

Elinor cleared her throat. "Uh, Bruce? May I introduce my son, Lightning McQueen?"

Bruce's eyes widened for a brief moment, but then he resumed scowling. "Doesn't change what I said. And being your son, I'd have expected him to have perfect manners, just like yourself."

"Yes, well, unfortunately, Lightning is a race car, and they don't have good manners to begin with. Plus, I was unfortunate enough to miss out on most of his upbringing, so any bad manners he has were not my fault."

Lightning stared at his mother, completely shocked. Before he could say anything, Dr Payne began driving all around him, examining him closely.

"He doesn't resemble you much, Elinor."

"He was supposed to be built as a Dodge Viper," Elinor explained.

Dr Payne sniggered. "That would've improved his appearance."

Furious, Lightning snapped. Throwing himself hard against Dr Payne's side, he managed to flip the larger car right over onto his roof! Then, Lightning jumped on top of the doctor's chassis, pinning him to the floor.

"Listen to me, Doctor _Payne_!" Lightning growled, strongly emphasising the doctor's name. "In the short time that I've come to know you, I've realised that you are nothing more than an arrogant idiot! This town deserves someone better than a jerk like you! Since I came in here, you've done nothing but insult me, without cause. And, to cap it all, you refused to treat Mater if he gets sick! Isn't that going against the code of doctors?"

"That's not my fault!" Dr Payne gasped. "I'm allergic to rust!"

"Then become a tree surgeon! I honestly don't know what my mother sees in you, but there's no way I'll ever respect you! And if you seriously think you can get away with treating me like a son when you're only _two years older than me_ , you'd better think again! I have a good mind to just stay in Australia so I don't have to deal with a creep like you!"

And with that, Lightning removed himself from Dr Payne's chassis. Groaning, Dr Payne slowly rolled back over onto his tyres. He glared at Elinor.

"Are you just going to stand there and let him treat me like this?"

Elinor shrugged. "I'm not sure of anything right now," she said sadly as she slowly turned around. "Please, leave me alone. Both of you."

Lightning immediately obeyed. Dr Payne hesitated before he drove inside his office.

Outside, Lightning found Mater and Sally waiting for him. He smiled slightly at them. "It's okay. I went easy on him; the jerk. Hopefully, mum will wake up from her daydream and see him for what he really is. And Mater? If you have any problems with Doctor Payne in the future, don't hesitate to call and tell me all about it."

"Okay. Thanks bud," Mater replied, grinning his broad, toothy grin. "I owes ya one."

"Shouting a round of drinks at Flo's will be thanks enough," Lightning replied with a wink.

"You'res on!" Mater shouted with delight.

Try as Lightning did, he couldn't remain inconspicuous as he entered the Piston Cup headquarters at the Motor Speedway of the South a few days later. He'd flown overnight to Nashville, for a one-on-one meeting with Strip Weathers.

 _Maybe I should've arranged for us to meet in Radiator Springs_ , Lightning thought as he was mobbed by a hoard of over-enthusiastic young racers, who were at the racetrack for a training session. _On second thoughts, here is probably better than Radiator Springs right now. I just hope mum will finally come to her senses about Dr Payne. I just wish Sally could've come with me. Oh well. I'll meet her back in L.A._

"Sorry, everyone, but I'm here on business. I'm afraid I don't have time to give out autographs today."

"Please, Mr McQueen!" the kids begged almost in unison.

"Sorry, kids," their trainer said, herding them away. "Mr McQueen said he doesn't have time for this today. I'm sure he must be very busy."

Lightning mouthed a 'thank you' to the trainer. He then hurried away down the hallway towards Strip's office.

A few minutes later, Lightning found himself face-to-face with Strip, inside the legendary racer's office. Strip placed a can of high performance oil in front of Lightning.

"Now, let's talk about my proposal," he said as he resumed his place behind the large wooden desk. "Have you discussed it with Leyland?"

"Yes, and he wants me to do it, but I'm not so sure. You see, last year, when I decided to race in the Piston Cup during the Enduro Cup, I sustained an injury which, over time, became so bad it finally caused me to be scratched from the final Enduro race. I can't afford for that to happen again."

"Not even if you raced late in the season?"

"I can't risk losing the Development Series Championship. Next year, things are only going to get a lot harder for me, so if I'm going to drive away with anything from my time in Australia, it'll most likely be the Development Series Championship."

"I understand that. When is your final race in the Development Series?"

"Sixth of December is the final race."

"And the Piston Cup racing season finishes on November twenty-two," Strip mused. He looked up at Lightning again. "I can't force you to race in the Piston Cup if you don't want to. But, why don't you go out onto the track and do a few laps. You might get the old spark back."

"I can't, Strip, I'm sorry."

"Why not?"

Lightning shifted around a little. "I've injured my axle. It's a hairline fracture. I'm not allowed to race until the middle of next month, but I'll be going back into training on September one."

"I'm sorry. I didn't realise."

"I'm trying to keep it quiet for the time being. If my fellow competitors know that I've been injured, they could use that against me in my next race."

"I understand. But please, Lightning, just keep thinking about it."

"I will. When do I need to let you know my final decision by?"

"First of November is the final cut off day for entries for the last race of the season. Of course, if you want to race in an earlier event, you'll have to let me know before then."

"Okay, I'll let you know. Thanks. Is there anything else we need to discuss?"

"For the time being, no. Are you going to catch up with your former bosses?"

"Not this time, sadly. My flight from Brisbane leave L.A. tomorrow morning, so I need to get back east a.s.a.p. Thank you for your time, Strip."

"You're welcome. Take good care of that axle. I want to see you back racing here for the 2017 season."

Smiling, Lightning left Strip's office. He had a lot to think about.

 **Hi everyone! I'm so sorry I haven't updated for a while. Since Boxing Day, I've been interstate doing volunteer work on a heritage steam railway (Puffing Billy for those who know about it). Most days, I've been spending 12+ hours working, so I've had very little time for writing. Fortunately, today was a total fire ban, so I thought I'd try and update my FanFiction stories. Hope you'll all forgive me for taking so long, lol! Please, don't forget to review.**


	51. Chapter 51 - Courtney's Injury

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 51 – Courtney's Injury

 **Brisbane International Airport – Wednesday, 26 August, 2015.**

"Craig, are you sure he's going to be okay?" Lightning asked anxiously over the phone as he and Sally made their way over to the baggage claim.

" _I've been with him as much as I can since it happened_ ," Craig said over the phone. " _You should've seen how furious Leyland was though. I could've sworn he was about to go over to that helicopter and give it what for. They're still investigating the incident. I'll send you a video of it now. Sorry, but I've gotta go. I'll be back in Brisbane tomorrow, so I'll see you then_."

"Okay, bye Craig."

"What was that all about?" Sally asked after Lightning had hung up.

"James Courtney was seriously injured last Friday in a freak accident at Sydney Motorsport Park. Craig's just sent the video to my laptop. We'll watch it when we get home."

"Why would Craig be concerned about that? James is on a different team!"

"James is one of his best friends," Lightning reminded her. "They used to race together."

"Oh."

Just over an hour later, Lightning and Sally stared in shock and disbelief as they watched footage of the incident at home on Lightning's computer. A military helicopter flew too low on its pass over pit lane, creating a huge turbulent wind that tore through the pits. They saw Courtney making his way back to his pit in the wind gusts, only to be hit in his right-hand side by a dislodged metal panel. They also saw the wind blowing into the Redbulldozer Racing team's pit.

 _No wonder Leyland was furious_ , Lightning thought. _Outside the pits is one thing, but it must have been like a tornado inside the pits_.

After the video had finished, Lightning phoned Leyland to let him know that he'd arrived back in Brisbane safely.

"I suppose you've heard about what happened to poor Courtney?" Leyland asked after Lightning had told him about his meeting with Strip.

"Yeah. How's he doing now?"

"Craig says he's in a lot of pain. He suffered a punctured lung, and some cracking in his antiroll bars, but he's hoping he'll be well enough to race at Sandown. I'm not holding my breath though. He's trying to play down his injuries, but if you'd seen how much agony he was in before they got him to the first-aid room, you'd understand."

"Mmm… Oh, how did Jamie's surgery go? He had that yesterday, didn't he?"

"Yes. There were some minor complications during the surgery, but he's recovering well."

"What complications?"

"He started to wake up during the surgery," Leyland whispered.

"Whoa!"

"Dr Andrews doesn't believe he regained full consciousness, but he wouldn't tell me why Jamie was fighting the anaesthetic."

"I think I know why, but I can't tell you, sorry."

"That's okay. I'm sure I'll find out Jamie's big secret sooner or later. As long as he keeps racing as well as he can, I don't care what medical condition he's got."

Lightning winced. It was getting harder and harder to keep Jamie's Jaguar Syndrome a secret. "When will he be released from hospital?"

"Dr Andrews thinks he'll be able to leave by Friday."

"That's good. I guess I'll see you back at headquarters tomorrow."

"You don't have to come. I want you to rest that axle as much as possible."

"Dr Andrews said I need to drive on it as much as possible now, to help build up the strength in it again."

"Oh. I see."

"Doctor's orders overrule yours, for once," Lightning teased. "I'd better go. Sally's got that lustful look in her eyes again."

Leyland laughed. "Okay, I'll shut up and let you get back to her. We can't have you coming to work with a black eye tomorrow, can we?"

Lightning promptly hung up the phone.

…

A week later, everything seemed to be getting back to normal at the Redbulldozer racing headquarters as the team prepared for the first race in the Enduro Cup - the Sandown 500. Craig and Paul were in full training, while Lightning and Jamie were being carefully monitored throughout their light training sessions. Lightning could tell that Jamie was trying to hide just how much pain he was in.

"Are you sure you're okay, Jamie?" Lightning asked him during a drinks break.

"Yeah. Doctor Andrews says this is normal, since I went off the painkillers on Monday. I just wish I could have them back, and keep racing."

"I know what you mean," Lightning sympathised.

"Anyway, I should be okay in a few more days. Dutto says he can already see some improvement. Guess Sandown will be the big test."

"Hopefully, we'll finally be able to put Prodrive back in their place," Lightning agreed. "Oh, by the way, I never found out how you and Craig did in Sydney."

"Actually, we did rather well on the Saturday. I came third and then first, but unfortunately, that didn't make Leyland change his mind about my need for surgery; especially after I came a dismal fourteenth on Sunday. Craig got a fifth and two tenth places, so he wasn't terribly pleased. Guess all we can do now is focus on winning the Enduro Cup, and see how things play out from there."

"If it's any consolation, I'll be doing my very best to help Craig win," Lightning promised.

"Oh now, don't make it too easy for him!" Jamie said, chuckling. "We might be teammates, but we're still rivals."

"The same applies to me too," Lightning smiled. "I can't wait until next year, when I'll be competing against you all the time!"

Jamie smirked. "I can't wait either. Things are going to be very different next year with Shane joining our team as well. I hope we can all get along."

Leyland drove over to them. "What are you two doing? Come on! Your break finished five minutes ago! Hurry up, and get back into that training room. Now!"

"Yes, Leyland!" Jamie and Lightning responded in unison as they dashed away towards the ramp. Leyland just chuckled quietly while he watched them dash upstairs. It was time for the team to fight back.

 **Sorry this is such a short chapter. I just want to get this story finished before the 2016 V8 Supercars season starts in just over a month. I should, although I'll be pushing it. At least I'm going home in a few days, so I'll have much more time for writing. Thanks for the reviews!**


	52. Chapter 52 - Day 1 at Sandown

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 52 – Day 1 at Sandown

 **Sandown 500, Day 1 – Sandown International Raceway, Sandown, Victoria – 25 kilometres South-East of Melbourne – Saturday, 12 September, 2015.**

Craig frowned thoughtfully as he watched Lightning racing against the other co-racers in their special qualifying round. Jamie also had a headset on, which was very unusual for him. Normally, he didn't bother watching any of the races, but he was obviously keen to see that Paul did well. After all, the co-racers' best lap times would be added to the Championship racers' best lap times to give a final starting order for the Sandown 500 the following day. That was why Craig was anxious. It was obvious to everyone that Lightning's injured axle was still bothering him.

Leyland exhaled heavily. "Tell Lightning to stop pushing himself," he ordered Grant. "I don't want him injuring himself again before tomorrow."

Nodding, Grant pressed a button on the console in front of him. "Hey, Lightning? Leyland wants you to ease up. We can't afford for you to reinjure yourself."

"Copy that," Lightning replied over the radio. Craig could hear the disappointment in his voice.

Leyland helped Craig remove his headset. "It can't be helped, Craig," he whispered.

"I know. But that doesn't make things easier for me. I'm going for a drive. Phone me when you want me back to prepare for my final qualifying round."

"You've got half an hour," Leyland replied.

As Craig drove out of the pit garage, his phone rang. Surprised, he quickly answered it. "Hello?"

"Craig? It's Elinor."

"Oh, hi, Elinor. Did you want Lightning? He's busy racing right now, so…"

"Yes, I can see him. Listen, I'm up in the V.I.P. section. I flew in last night, and no, Lightning doesn't know that I'm here. Do you think you can join me for a quick chat? There's something very important that I want to talk to you about."

"O-kay…" Craig said cautiously. "I'll be with you in a minute."

It didn't take Craig long to find Elinor. She was parked at the window of the V.I.P. section, watching her son racing. She looked sadly at Craig when he parked alongside her.

"Is Lightning okay? He's not normally that slow."

"His axle's still bothering him. He was cleared to race, but uh…"

Elinor nodded sadly. "He doesn't know I'm here. In fact, I came here to talk to you."

"Me? Why?"

Elinor shrugged. "I wanted someone to talk to, and I believe you're the only one who can understand how I feel right now. The truth is, I've left Doctor Payne."

"Really? Why?"

"What did Lightning tell you?"

"Nothing. He just said that he'd got everything done that he wanted to get done back home."

"I see. Well, he physically attacked Doctor Payne in my waiting room, but Doctor Payne brought it on himself. I thought Doctor Payne was the man for me, and that everyone else was exaggerating about his character, but the way he treated Lightning opened my eyes. I should've known not to go for a toy-boy. Or at least, not a toy-boy who was young enough to be my son. When I saw just how hurt Lightning was by my selfish decision, I realised that I didn't love Doctor Payne at all. So, after Lightning and Sally had left Radiator Springs, I gave back my engagement hub-cap. Doctor Payne was furious, and he hit me. Luckily, the medical centre has Sherriff on speed-dial in case of unruly patients, so it didn't take long for him to get there. After he'd taken in the situation, he and the rest of the townsfolk drove Doctor Payne out. He won't be coming back."

Seeing the tears forming in Elinor's eyes, Craig felt compelled to offer her a hug, which she readily accepted.

"I'm sorry to burden you with this, Craig," Elinor said while they were hugging. "I know you have your own marital problems, but that's why I knew you'd be able to understand. I just wish Hudson hadn't died. He was wonderful as a husband, and Lightning respected him. I couldn't marry someone Lightning hated." They ended the embrace.

"I don't think Lightning could ever truly hate anybody," Craig said sincerely. "He's too good a kid for that."

Elinor sighed tiredly. "Maybe you're right. But I have to consider his feelings too, when I finally do find someone else to marry. I can't bear the thought of spending the rest of my life alone. It'd be too much for me after everything I went through after my first husband was murdered. Has Lightning told you about that?"

"Not in detail. And I can understand why."

"He's still hurting from that, I know. He was very close to his father, because they both loved racing."

"So now you're trying to get close to him again by supporting his racing, right?"

"Yes, and no. I don't want to encourage his racing, but if that's what he loves doing, I'll be there to support him. I'm sure every mother worries when they see their children doing something dangerous. I try not to worry, but it's difficult not to."

Craig offered Elinor another embrace, which she accepted. "I know. Listen, I'm really sorry, but I need to get back to the pits now. I have another qualifying round."

"Could we, perhaps, go out to dinner?" Elinor quickly suggested. "I have a lot more I want to talk about. It's okay if you can't offer me any more support than just a hug. I just want to talk to someone who'll listen."

"I understand. I'd be happy to, but I'm afraid it can't be tonight. Leyland has very strict curfew rules during race weekends. Plus, tomorrow night, I'll be able to share a drink with you."

"That'd be wonderful, thank you. I'll phone you to arrange a time. Oh, and please don't let Lightning know that I'm here."

"I won't," Craig promised as he drove away.

…

"Ow!" Lightning yelped when Dr Andrews gently tapped his injured axle with a rubber hammer.

"Hmm…" Dr Andrews mussed, ignoring Lightning. Leyland knocked on the door of the first-aid room as he entered.

"How is he?" Leyland asked anxiously.

"Well, according to Doctor Lee, the fracture has healed properly," Dr Andrews explained, turning towards Leyland. "He's just taken some x-rays, and he's happy to let Lightning continue racing tomorrow. I think most of the pain Lightning is feeling is what we tend to call phantom pain."

"Phantom pain?" Leyland repeated. "What's that?"

"Basically, it's just the nerves settling back down. They were inflamed, you see, and now that the axle's healed, they need to heal."

"Is that all it is?" Lightning asked from his perch on the hydraulic lift.

"Yes," Dr Andrews assured him. "I can put a support brace on it if you like, but it will heal faster without it."

"Don't bother then. I'll just grit my teeth and ignore the pain."

Leyland breathed an audible sigh of relief. "Jamie and Paul got pole position for tomorrow's race. Unfortunately, you and Craig qualified in twenty-third. He didn't have the best round for his qualifier, and he was penalised with a drive-through-penalty."

"Damn!" Lightning muttered.

"My feelings exactly," Leyland said. "Go back to the hotel, get plenty of rest, and I'll see you bright and early at nine o'clock sharp tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sir!" Lightning replied, mockingly.

Leyland merely chuckled on his way out. As Dr Andrews was lowering the hydraulic lift, Lightning's phone went off, indicating a new message. He frowned when he saw the sender – Frosty.

"Oh, my goodness!" Lightning whispered in shock. There, on his phone, was a picture of his mother hugging Craig. The caption with it said, 'Saw this while I was having lunch. Just thought you should know.'

Dr Andrews glanced at the photo over Lightning's fender. "Don't go jumping to conclusions. It's more than likely just an innocent moment that someone's trying to take advantage of."

"I didn't even know my mum was here! And why is she hugging Craig? That's what I'd like to know!"

"Settle down, kid, before you blow a spark plug. Go and talk to Craig. Find out his version. I'm sure it's completely innocent."

Lightning seethed with rage, but he didn't bother to say anything else. His thoughts were racing too fast for him to keep track of them. Turning, he hurried out of the first-aid room, almost slamming the door in his wake.

…

Back at the team's hotel, Lightning burst into Craig's room, almost pouncing on his teammate.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded to know as his held up his phone.

Craig's eyes widened when he saw the photo. "Who sent that to you?"

"Frosty did! At least he's more honest than you are!"

"Oh, really? Your mother asked me to keep our meeting a secret. She didn't want you to know she was in the country."

"Why not?"

Craig shrugged. "Beats me. She asked me, and I agreed to her request. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Uh, excuse me? You were hugging MY MOTHER!"

"She's not the first woman I've ever hugged, who wasn't my wife. And since I'm about to be divorced, why does it matter?"

"Because she's my mother!"

Craig rolled his eyes. "Listen! Your mother phoned me at the races today, asking if she could talk to me. She didn't want you to know that she was here. All she wanted was a shoulder to cry on."

"Why? She has that Doctor Payne fellow now."

Craig remained silent for a moment, then he said, "That's something you need to talk to her about. In the meantime, it's obvious that Frosty sent you that photo out of spite. He knew you'd lose your temper, and come racing straight to me. Can't you see that all he wanted to do was to create a division in our team, right before one of the biggest races on our calendar?"

Lightning froze. Craig was right, and he'd fallen right into Frosty's trap. Humbly, he looked at the ground.

"I'm sorry, Craig. I didn't mean to fly at you like that. I'll do my very best for us tomorrow."

Craig drove closer to him. "I know you will. This is all just a misunderstanding. Your mother is very hurt and confused right now, so please don't bother her. Delete that photo from your phone and your mind. We have more important things to worry about right now."

"Yes, you're quite right. I'll go grab some dinner, and then I'll go to bed. See you in the morning. Goodnight."

"'Night, Speedster."

 **Thanks again for your reviews! I'm back home now, so I'll be able to update with the same regularity as before. Thank you so much for your patience. I hope you're still enjoying this story.**


	53. Chapter 53 - Day 2 at Sandown

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 53 – Day 2 at Sandown

 **Sandown 500, Day 2 – Sandown International Raceway, Sandown, Victoria – 25 kilometres South-East of Melbourne – Sunday, 13 September, 2015.**

"Okay, focus… Speed. I. Am. Speed…"

"Hey, Speed? Snap out of it!"

Lightning opened his eyes. Marcus Ambrose was parked right beside him, grinning with amusement. Lightning exhaled deeply.

"What? Are you going to try and mess with my head as well now?"

"Only if you want me to. What's up? Something's obviously bothering you."

"Yeah, well, it's not something you need to know. I can handle it."

"If you're sure… Good luck today. You've got it tough, starting from the back of the field."

"Where are you starting?"

"Eleventh. I can't wait to start! It's been ages since I was last in a real race."

Lightning shook his front. He couldn't let himself be distracted again right before this very important race. He glanced up at the V.I.P. section. Although he couldn't see her, Craig had told him that his mother was going to be watching the whole race. Unsurprisingly, that only added to his nerves.

"Radio check," Grant said over Lightning's radio.

"Receiving you loud and clear, Grant," Lightning replied.

"Good. They're about to start the formation lap."

"Copy that."

About five minutes later, the racers were all lined up on the starting grid. In twenty-third place, Lightning had never started so far back in the field in a V8 Supercars race. All the teams were starting with their co-racers, which was actually rather normal for endurance races. That was because the co-racers had to complete at least a third of the race, so it was often easier for the teams to get all of the compulsory items out of the way early, so they wouldn't have to worry about them later when the race reached its critical point.

Lightning squinted in the early afternoon sunlight. Even with a repeat set of starting lights mid-way down the grid, he was having trouble seeing it.

"Grant? I can't see the lights. Can you let me know when they go out, please?"

"Sure, kid. Don't stress about that. Green flag."

Lightning revved his engine aggressively. He was determined to make up as many places as he could before he'd have to swap over with Craig. Up ahead, he saw the first racers beginning to move.

"Go, go, go, go!" Grant practically shouted at him.

Lightning floored it. As he took off, a wall of dust rose up from mid-way along the grid. Not knowing if the track was blocked or not, Lightning decided not to take any chances. Instead, he drove down between the edge of the track and the safety fence. It was rough going, and he knew it would wreak havoc on his tyres, but that was better than the alternative.

Once Lightning had cleared the grid, he settled down for a few turns before he jumped on the radio.

"Who am I racing, Grant?"

"Ambrose now. He stalled on the grid. You've only moved up one place. Paul's still in the lead."

Lightning muttered a swear word under his breath.

"What was that?" Grant asked.

"Nothing. Just kicking myself for the bad start."

"It wasn't your fault. These things just happen. What I want you to do now is focus on overtaking the guy in front of you. Let's see you improve your split times."

Determined, Lightning set his teeth. What Grant was really saying was, 'go faster'. Lightning didn't need any more encouragement than that.

A few laps later, Lightning was beginning to clock up some impressively fast times. Dutto was worried when he glanced at Lightning's times. Lightning was consistently racing at qualifying pace! If he kept that up, Dutto knew that he'd soon begin to pose a threat to the leaders. Sure, he wanted Lightning to do well, but even within the team there was plenty of competition. Since he was now Jamie's crew chief again, he wanted Jamie and Paul to win today.

"How's Lightning's axle holding out?" he quietly asked Grant.

Grant pushed back one of his earpieces so he could hear better. "He said it was feeling better this morning. I'm monitoring it."

Frowning, Dutto nodded. Knowing that Dutto was beginning to feel a little threatened, Grant removed his headset fully.

"If my boys beat yours today, you're shouting the whole team a round of drinks," he decided.

"The same applies to you," Dutto grunted.

Chuckling, Grant replaced his headset.

By lap 13, the racers had begun pitting for their first compulsory pits stops. Lightning didn't bother to ask if he should come in. He knew Grant would call him in when the team was ready for him.

Owing to all the pit stops, by lap eighteen, Lightning found himself in fourteenth position. He knew that once he'd pitted, he'd drop back again, so he focused on giving himself as much pit stop time as possible.

On the next lap, Lightning saw Paul enter the pits. Knowing that it would be several more laps before the pit crew would be ready to service him, he kept himself focussed on the race.

It was more than 'several laps' before Lightning knew he couldn't hold off a pit stop any longer. In fact, he'd just finished lap 29 when a warning alarm sounded on his dash panel. His main fuel tank was empty, and his system had automatically switched over to his reserve tank.

"Grant, I can't stay out here forever, you know," Lightning said over the radio.

"Oh, s***! I forgot about your small fuel tank!" Grant exclaimed. "Come in now. We'll be ready for you by the time you get in here."

Sure enough, they were. As Lightning approached the team's pit crew, Grant apologised to him profusely.

"Grant, it's okay," Lightning finally interrupted. "Just talk me through this please. I'm not used to doing pit stops with you guys."

"Right, well just don't spin your wheels when you're up on the jacks. Leave everything else to the pit crew."

"Got it."

Lightning stopped in exactly the right place, and he was immediately jacked up. The pit crew leapt into action, refuelling him and changing his tyres for a new set. The guys doing the tyre change finished in under ten seconds, but since Lightning's fuel tank had been completely empty, it would take over half a minute to fill.

Finally, fuel started spurting through the overflow tube. The nozzle was promptly released from Lightning's tank, and he was dropped back down.

"Right, you're good to go, mate," Grant told him, just as Lightning accelerated away.

Lightning re-joined the race in 22nd position. He'd neither lost nor gained any positions, so he settled comfortably back into the rhythm he'd had before.

By lap fifty, Lightning had made up some considerable ground, and he was now sitting in seventeenth. Paul was still leading the race by a heathy five and a half second margin. Inside the pit garage, Craig and Jamie underwent some final checks and preparations. It was almost time to swap racers.

Paul was called in first on lap fifty-five. It was a clean racer swap, with Jamie returning to the track in the lead. Two laps later, it was Lightning's turn. Upon his arrival at the pits, he underwent a full pit stop before Craig was allowed out onto the racetrack.

"Good luck!" Lightning called to his accelerating teammate. He knew Craig probably wouldn't hear him, but that didn't matter.

Back inside the pit garage, Lightning grabbed a drink out of the fridge, before collapsing onto his chassis alongside Paul, who was also in recovery mode.

"You made a decent comeback," Paul remarked, breathing heavily.

"I did my best," Lightning said, also panting.

Dr Andrews drove over to them. "Get up! Go outside behind the garage and keep driving around until I tell you both to stop. You'll end up with stitches if you don't keep moving."

Groaning wearily, Lightning and Paul reluctantly complied. Luckily, there was a large screen behind the pits, so they followed the race on that.

On lap 75, one of the co-racers locked up his rear wheels and sped out of control into a tyre wall. The safety car was deployed, which triggered a rush in pit row. The race resumed on lap 79. By lap 100, Dr Andrews had allowed Lightning and Paul to return inside the pit garage to watch the rest of the race from there. He continued ensuring that they drank, even though they didn't really want to.

On lap 119, things started to go from bad to worse for the team. After another pit stop, Jamie's right rear tyre ran over something sharp that had been left in pit row, causing his tyre to slowly deflate. That meant pitting again so a new tyre could be bolted on. That resulted in Jamie losing all the time and ground he and Paul had gained throughout the race. Devastated, Paul left the pit garage. Lightning didn't bother to go after him. He knew that if anything happened to Craig, he'd want to be alone too.

By lap 124, Jamie and Craig were racing in 14th and 15th respectively, with only 1.8 seconds between them. Leyland jumped on the radio.

"Remember, you two, if you take each other out, you'll both be driving back to Brisbane on your own," he warned.

Craig and Jamie acknowledged the warning. Lightning knew he'd have the same threat made to him once he started racing in the Championship races. While Leyland encouraged friendly competition within the team, he would always step in whenever he felt it was getting too dangerous. Especially if there was a big race at stake, like this one.

The rest of the race was pretty much incident free, aside from a stray bolt and a witches' cone finding their way out onto the track. Luckily, no racer hit them, but Craig and Jamie weren't able to improve from mid-field. Frosty won the race, followed by Mostert, and then Shane VanGearsbergen. Ambrose and his teammate finished in twelfth. Craig managed to finish in thirteenth, while Jamie finished a dismal fifteenth. Needless to say, nobody in the Redbulldozer camp was very happy with the result.

"We'll debrief back home in Brisbane," Leyland told his exhausted team while they set about the task of packing up after the race. "I have a lot of things I want to review before we discuss how we handled today. I'll see some of you again tomorrow. In the meantime, get plenty of rest. You've all earned it."

"You're shouting us a round of drinks tonight," Grant said, reminding Dutto about their deal. Dutto merely grunted in response, making the team laugh in spite of themselves.

As Craig was leaving the pits, his phone rang. It was Elinor.

"You still feel up to having dinner tonight?" she asked when Craig answered.

"How does dining at the Crown Casino sound to you?" he replied.

"Heavenly! I'll meet you there at around eight. That'll give you enough time to get cleaned up. You did really well today. You and Lightning."

"Thanks. I'll see you soon." And Craig hung up his phone.


	54. Chapter 54 - Craig and Elinor

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 54 – Craig and Elinor

 **The Golden Hubcap Restaurant, Crown Casino – Melbourne, Victoria – Sunday, 13 September, 2015.**

"That was wonderful, Craig, thank you," Elinor said as a waiter removed their empty plates and bowls. "I haven't dined like this in…oh, it must be at least seventeen years."

Craig raised his eyelids in surprise. "Really? It's been that long, has it?"

"Yes… My first husband, Lightning's father, was very wealthy, so I lived the life of a socialite. It was wonderful mixing with some of the most popular celebrities of the time. I even attended a ball at the White House shortly after my marriage. I got to meet the President and his family. Can't say I ever voted for him though, but it was still a lovely evening."

Craig glanced around at the fancy restaurant. Gold and chrome shimmered everywhere, creating a very romantic atmosphere. He cleared his throat.

"Didn't Doc ever take you out for dinner?"

"Oh, yes, but he could never afford anything like this."

Craig shrugged his fenders. "There was a time when I couldn't either. I began racing in the V8s long before the Championship we have today was even thought of. Back then, racing wasn't as heavily regulated as it is now. You either had the skills to win, or you didn't. It was that simple."

"I still get frightened watching Lightning race," Elinor admitted.

"He's your son, so that's perfectly natural. I'm just glad my kids aren't interested in racing. I really miss them though. This pending divorce has really been very hard for me, you know."

Elinor was surprised. "Really? You always look so cheerful and positive."

Craig sighed sadly. "That's something my mentor, Peter Brock, taught me. He always told me to keep smiling, even though you might be hurting inside. Sometimes, if I'd had a really bad day's racing, he'd come over to me and say things like, 'It's not good harping on the past because you can't change it', and 'You've got to look to the future and you've got to stay positive. You've got to think about what you can change, not what's happened. Definitely reflect on it, but make sure you put things in place so you don't make the same mistake again'*."

"He sounds so much like Hudson…" Elinor said sadly.

"From what Lightning's told me about Doc, he was in many ways. It's such a shame they never had the chance to meet. Imagine what stories they'd have shared!"

"And knowledge," Elinor agreed. She moved forward a couple of inches. "You haven't told Lightning that I'm here, have you?"

Craig took a sip of his wine before answering. "I didn't. He found out through other means though."

"Oh. I wonder why he hasn't contacted me then."

"He's been very busy, and it's been quite a while since his last endurance race, so he's probably gone to bed early."

"I see." She glanced at the clock on a nearby wall. "Oh, goodness! It's already ten o'clock. Sorry, I didn't mean to keep you out so late."

"It's okay," Craig assured her. "My flight back to Brisbane isn't until midday tomorrow."

"Will Lightning be on that flight with you?"

Craig signalled a waiter for the bill. "Of course. He did a really good job today. I was the one who let us down, unfortunately. I made a silly mistake, and I was penalised for it. These things are just a part of professional racing." The waiter placed the bill in front of Craig. "Thank you."

After Craig had paid for their meal, he escorted Elinor back to her hotel, to ensure she made it back safely.

"Why doesn't Leyland pay for you to stay in places like the Crown?" she wondered.

"Leyland doesn't like to spend money unnecessarily," Craig explained. "If we want more, we have to pay for it ourselves. Unless we're racing overseas, of course. Then, he goes overboard to ensure that everyone on the team is very comfortable. After all, the last thing he wants is for one of us to fall ill in a foreign country on a racing weekend."

"That makes sense. You're lucky to have him in charge of your team."

"I know. He's a great boss."

They'd stopped in the foyer of the hotel where Elinor was staying. For a brief moment, the two cars locked eyes on each other. It was clear that they both wanted to say more, but they couldn't form the words together. Craig finally cleared his throat.

"Guess I'd better be going. Goodnight, Elinor."

"Goodnight, Craig."

…

Two days later, most of the Redbulldozer Racing team were assembled inside the meeting room at the team's headquarters in Brisbane for their post-race debrief. Leyland briefly covered a few general topics before addressing Craig, Jamie, Paul and Lightning.

"Craig, I think it's obvious what went wrong for you, both before and during the race."

"Yes," Craig agreed. "I know I'm to blame for everything, but I must thank Lightning for bringing us back into a reasonable position."

Lightning smiled warmly at Craig. "We make a great team, don't we?"

"Yes," Craig agreed. "I'm going to miss having you race with me in the Enduros next year."

"Me too."

Leyland cleared his throat. "Moving right along… I agree with Craig though. Lightning, you did exceptionally well. You recorded more of the fastest split times than any other co-racer, so that is worthy of praise. However, I'd like to see you in my office after this meeting."

"Sure."

"Now, Jamie… How did your antiroll-bars feel during the race?"

"Perfect," Jamie replied cheerfully. "They stayed nice and tight throughout the whole race. I'm so glad I had that surgery now."

"So am I," Leyland agreed, smiling. "Paul? I couldn't fault your performance either. It was just very unfortunate that Jamie collected that piece of scrap metal as he exited pit lane. If it hadn't been for that, I'm sure we'd have had a podium finish. Anyway, there's nothing we can do about that now. I want all of us to focus on Bathurst. I want to go into it with the strongest team we've ever had. That's all for now, thank you. Lightning? My office now, please."

With a reluctant sigh, Lightning followed Leyland upstairs and down the hallway until they reached Leyland's office.

"Have I done something wrong?" Lightning asked as Leyland closed the door.

"Not at all," Leyland replied before driving behind his desk and parking. "I have some important things I need to discuss with you about the 2016 season. The first is, I've decided that you and Craig will share a pit garage next year, adjoining Jamie and Shane. I was going to put you with Shane originally, but I've seen how well you and Craig get on with each other, so I hope that can continue."

"I'm perfectly happy to share with Craig."

"Good. That's settled then. Now, the next thing is, although you and Craig with be sharing your pit crew, I want each racer to have their own crew chief. I'm still negotiating things with the others, but I was thinking of promoting one of the data engineers, Tony Gearslownski, to be your crew chief next year. He's been with the team since 2006, and even though he can be rather pushy sometimes, I'm sure he'll make a great crew chief for you."

Lightning frowned thoughtfully. He'd seen Tony working quietly in the background at lot, so it was difficult to imagine that the little forklift could be anywhere near as pushy as Dutto or Leyland himself.

"What if we don't get along?"

"Then, I'll just have to find someone else. But I was thinking your little race in the Piston Cup could be a great way of getting to know him and his methods. I know you said you don't want to race in the Piston Cup this year, but it'd be a really good opportunity to get in some extra practice, without it interfering with the Development Series."

"I suppose… Can I think about it a little longer, please?"

"Sure. Just don't leave it for too long. The other thing we need to talk about is your fuel tank."

Lightning shifted self-consciously, and he stared down at the floor. "What about it?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you'll have to have a bigger one installed before you start the 2016 season."

"Why? That is major surgery!"

"I know, but like Jamie, I wouldn't put you through anything if it wasn't to your advantage."

"How is giving me a larger fuel tank going to be to my advantage?"

"You won't have to pit as often, which in a race could make all the difference between winning and placing."

Lightning looked ready to burst into tears. Leyland drove over to him.

"I'm sorry, Speedster, but you must have gone through a lot of surgery to become a race car in the first place."

"I did, and I was hoping that would be enough."

Leyland exhaled deeply. "We'll do our best to ensure you make a full and speedy recovery. But there's plenty of time before you need to worry about that. I want you to focus on Bathurst now. Remember, you and Craig are the defending champions, so do everything you can to defend your title."

"I will," Lightning promised, smiling again.

* Lowndes, C and Fogarty, M (2010) _Craig Lowndes: The Inside Line_ , HarperCollins Publishers: Sydney

 **Thank you everyone for your reviews, and your suggestions. I have considered some of them, but you'll have to keep reading if you want to see which ones I've decided to use (hehe!). Please, don't forget to leave a review. I'm in need of some more motivation...**


	55. Chapter 55 - Day 1 at the Bathurst 1000

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 55 – Day 1 at the Bathurst 1000

 **Mount Panorama Motor Racing Circuit, Bathurst, 200 kms west of Sydney, New South Wales – Thursday, 8 October, 2015.**

"Achoo!"

"Oh, bless you," Craig said quickly. Then he looked straight at Lightning. "You'd better not be coming down with something."

"I hope not," Lightning sniffled. "I've got my first practice in an hour."

It was the first official day of the Bathurst 1000, but the teams had all arrived earlier that week. The Redbulldozer Racing team had arrived on Tuesday, giving everyone the chance to get settle and set up for four long days of racing. Lightning hadn't admitted it to anyone, but he'd been feeling rather lousy the day before, and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to get through all of his scheduled practice sessions that day. He decided to change the subject.

"So, how have your dates with my mother been going?"

Craig almost choked on the protein drink he'd been sipping. "Uh…fine… But we haven't been dating…"

Lightning raised an eyelid, making it clear that he didn't believe Craig. Seeing Lightning's expression, Craig exhaled deeply.

"Okay, so we've been dating since Sandown. How'd you know?"

"Jamie. Just a little tip for the future, Craig. Don't tell Jamie anything unless you want everyone else to know."

"I'll try to remember that…" Craig glared coldly at Jamie, who was talking to Dutto on the other side of the pit garage.

Leyland drove over to them. "Are you ready for your first practice, Speedster?"

"I guess so," Lightning replied.

"You don't sound very confident."

"Well, considering I've got Development Series races along with co-racing with Craig this weekend, I've got a lot of racing to do over the next four days."

"You can do it, Speedster. Just do you very best."

Lightning sneezed again, making Leyland frown with concern.

"I hope you're not coming down with anything."

"That's what I said," Craig interjected.

"I'm fine," Lightning protested. "It's just a sniffle."

"After this practice, I'll get Doctor Andrews to take a look at you," Leyland decided. Lightning was about to keep protesting, but Leyland drove away too quickly. He exhaled deeply.

"I'm fine! I can't understand why everyone's making such a fu…fu…achoo!"

Once Lightning had stopped sneezing, he saw Craig's bemused expression.

"Okay, okay! I'll let Doctor Andrews examine me after this practice."

…

Lightning's first practice on the Bathurst racetrack didn't go quite as well as he'd wanted it to. Owing to his sniffle, he couldn't breathe properly, and so he ended up finishing half a second off the pace. Paul finished in first place.

Lightning was still panting heavily five minutes after he'd returned to the team's pit garage. All he wanted to do was park himself in a quiet corner and go to sleep. Leyland pointed a tyre towards the transporter.

"Doctor Andrews is waiting for you."

Rather reluctantly, Lightning drove over to the transporter.

"Come in, Speedster," Dr Andrews instructed. Once they were both inside with the door closed, Dr Andrews began examining Lightning. First of all, he placed a thermometer in Lightning's mouth. Then, while he waited for it to take the reading, he placed a couple of sensors on top of Lightning's bonnet.

"Hmm… Your RPMs are a bit higher than normal," he mused as he read the sensor data on a computer. He gently removed the thermometer. "And your temperature is up a bit too. When did you start noticing the symptoms?"

"Yesterday."

"Well, you're lucky then. We seem to have caught it before it got any worse. I'm going to give you a shot of antibiotics, and I want you to have an early night tonight. Hopefully, that should be enough to prevent the cold from getting any worse. Oh, and if you must sneeze, try to go outside to do it. We can't afford to have you infecting the whole team. How did you get the cold anyway?" While he was speaking, he prepared the antibiotic injection.

"I think I got it from Sally. She had a cold two weeks ago."

"That's sounds about right," Dr Andrews mused as he began unfastening Lightning's bonnet clips. When he unfastened the last one, Lightning flinched backwards.

"Do I have to have a shot?"

"I'm afraid so. Now pop your bonnet for me, please."

Lightning reluctantly did so. Dr Andrews chose an oil line that looked like it had never had anything injected into it before, and he inserted the needle.

"Ow!" Lightning yelped. "Ow, ow, ow, ow! Please, take it out!"

"It's already out," Dr Andrews said, chuckling.

"Ow! Well, it still hurts!"

Dr Andrews sealed the tiny puncture wound before he gently closed Lightning's bonnet. "It should stop hurting soon. You can have a bit of a nap in the corner over there if you like. I'll wake you in time for your next practice."

"Thank you," Lightning said, gratefully. Minutes later, he was fast asleep.

…

Unfortunately, the nap didn't help Lightning at all. In fact, he felt even worse when he drove out onto the racetrack for the co-racers' first practice session. Not all of the co-racers were in the Development Series, so this session was very important for them.

Even though Lightning finished the practice session in fifth place, his best lap time was a second faster than his earlier practice. Paul finished in eleventh.

"How did you and Jamie go in your first practice session?" Lightning asked Craig over their late lunch.

"Not too good," Craig sighed. "I got ninth, and Jamie got twelfth. Chaz Mostert won. But, as Leyland said, it's still early days yet. If we don't improve tomorrow, then we'll start to worry. Did you see Doctor Andrews?"

"Yes, and I completely regret it."

"Why?"

"He gave me a shot."

Craig chuckled. "What'd he give you?"

"Antibiotics for my cold. Think I'll sleep in a separate hotel room tonight, away from Sally. I'm glad Leyland lets me share a room with her when she comes with us."

"Well, he's learned from experience not to break couples up on racing weekends. He finds that those of us who are married are more relaxed and focused when our wives come along."

Lightning smirked. "The way you're going with my mother, I wouldn't be at all surprised."

He only just managed to avoid Craig's playful swat!

 **So, I'm finally onto the Bathurst chapters! The next chapter is going to be very exciting (and possibly a bit distressing for some readers), and it'll hopefully tie up a few loose ends that I wrote about in earlier chapters. Please, don't forget to leave a review.**


	56. Chapter 56 - Near Tragedy at Bathurst

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 56 – Near Tragedy at the Bathurst 1000

 **Day 2 of the Bathurst 1000, Mount Panorama Motor Racing Circuit, Bathurst, 200 kms west of Sydney, New South Wales – Friday, 9 October, 2015.**

"YES!" Lightning shouted over the radio so loudly that those listening in had to momentarily pull their headsets away from their ears. "Ka-chow!"

Leyland chuckled. Lightning had just put in the fastest lap time for the co-racers' second practice session, and Grant had just informed him of that fact.

"Guess he's feeling much better today," Leyland mused to Dr Andrews, who was parked beside him. Dr Andrews normally didn't bother to watch practice sessions, but owing to Lightning's cold the day before, he'd decided to err on the side of caution.

"Well, his vitals are back to normal," Dr Andrews said. "I don't like using antibiotics much, but that seems to have been exactly what he needed. Along with a good night's rest."

"I can assure you he had that," Dutto interjected. "When I went to wake him this morning, I found him crashed out on the sofa. He told me he didn't want to give Sally his cold, so they slept apart."

"Pity Sally didn't think to do that two weeks ago," Dr Andrews sighed.

Lightning and Paul were both grinning when they arrived back at the pit garage.

"That was amazing!" Lightning gushed. "I can't believe how much better I feel this morning, Dr Andrews. Thank you for looking after me yesterday."

"You're quite welcome. It's my job after all. Hope you and Craig win again on Sunday."

"Same."

…

An hour later, Lightning backed up his morning's practice session with another top-place finish in the second Development Series practice. Paul also had the same result as he did that morning, finishing in fourth.

"You're definitely on track to doing well in the Development Series qualifying round this evening," Leyland told Lightning proudly.

"Thanks, Leyland. I just hope I don't let you down."

"You won't if you manage to qualify ahead of Paul," Leyland teased.

"Hey!" Paul protested. "I heard that, Leyland!"

Laughing, Lightning went over to the bar fridge to get a drink.

Forty minutes later, the entire Redbulldozer Racing team exploded in a chorus of delighted cheers and applause when Jamie smashed the track record for V8 Supercars, setting a new lap time of 2 minutes 04.9097 seconds.

After lunch, Lightning saw some familiar cars enter the pit garage. "Uh, Craig? Look who's here!"

Craig's jaw dropped in astonishment. Lightning clearly saw tears welling up in the older racer's eyes. Standing there at the back of the garage was Elinor with both of Craig's children.

"Daddy!" they screamed as they drove straight into his outstretched tyres.

"Oh, my darlings!" Craig exclaimed. "It's been too long!"

Lightning drove over to his mother. "That was nice. I didn't know they were even here."

"Yeah, well, I meet Mrs Louds in the V.I.P. section. She said that the kids wanted to see their father, but she didn't want to face him, so I offered to bring them down here. It seemed like the best solution."

Lightning nodded in understanding. "Where's Sal?"

"Getting lunch. She offered to bring some dessert down for you."

"Thanks. I could do with something sweet. I'm sure you V.I.P.s get fed far better than what we racers do."

"I'll ignore that," Elinor replied indignantly. She looked seriously at her son. "What do you think of Craig?"

"He's a great friend. Why?"

"You know that we've been dating, right?"

"Yes…" Lightning said slowly, wondering where this conversation was heading.

"Are you comfortable with that?"

Lightning was surprised. "You're asking me?"

"Yes. I know I made a mistake by not consulting you before I became engaged to Doctor Payne. I thought it was none of your business, but I now know that it is. Whoever I marry will be your step-father, regardless of how old you are, and I know now just how important it is for you to like and respect him. Now, nothing's been decided yet, but how would you feel if I decided to marry Craig?"

Lightning was speechless for a moment. His thoughts were racing faster than he could ever go. "Um… Honestly mum, Craig and I do get along really well as friends, but I don't know how we'd get on if he was my step-father. I see Craig as my mentor now. He's not a replacement for Doc, and he never could be, but he's given me some fantastic advice for touring car racing, which is something Doc could never have taught me."

"You don't mind that Craig's younger than me?"

Lightning shrugged his fenders. "He's forty-one, and you're in your early fifties. It could be much worse. Uh oh! Here comes Kori…"

"Why is she talking to Jamie?" Elinor wondered.

Lightning cringed. "They're dating too."

Elinor had to laugh. "Oh, I'd love to see more of that! They must be so cute together."

Lightning rolled his eyes. Still laughing, Elinor drove over to Craig and the children, so she could take the children back to their mother. Lightning drove over to Kori and Jamie.

"I hate to break you two lovebirds up, but you've got qualifying in five minutes, Jamie."

Jamie growled. "You really know how to kill romance, don't you?"

Lightning smiled innocently.

"Jamie!" Dutto shouted from the front of the garage. "Front and centre now, please!"

"Told you."

Jamie seethed quietly before driving over to Dutto. Lightning smiled at Kori.

"He'll get over it."

"Yeah. Oh! I haven't interviewed you for a while, so would you like to answer a few questions, please?"

"I suppose so," Lightning sighed. "It's the least I can do after I interrupted."

While Kori prepared her notes, the camera car drove over to them. In the background, the Championship racers headed out onto the racetrack for their qualifying round. When Kori was ready, she faced the camera. Lightning saw the 'live' light on the camera start flashing, so he plastered on his signature smile.

"Welcome back to RSN's coverage of day two of the V8 Supercars Bathurst 1000, coming to you live from glorious Mount Panorama, Australia," Kori said into the camera. "I'm Kori Turbowitz, and with me today is our Piston Cup Champion, turned V8 Supercar, Lightning McQueen! Well, Lightning, it's been quite a few months since I last interviewed you, so are you still enjoying racing in the V8 Supercars Development Series?"

"Of course! I'm really looking forward to racing in the Championship Series next year. It's going to be interesting having four of us on the same team, but I'm sure we'll…"

Lightning's voice drifted off when he heard on the TVs behind him the worst sound for a race car to hear. It was the sound of someone crashing. Turning Lightning's eyes widened when he saw one of the racers sliding out of control down the steep descent known as 'the Dipper'.

"Oh! A big, big moment; a massive moment for one of the Prodrive racers!" one of the commentators was saying over the TV. "Into the wall and out of business for Chaz Mostert! He's had a monumental crash…"

Race director, Tim Schenken's voice interrupted the commentator's on the TV. "Red flag, red flag, red flag. Car out at turn eighteen…"

Lightning froze in shock, along with the rest of the team. Nobody could take their eyes off the TV screens, even when they saw just how badly Chaz was injured. It was horrific. His front and rear ends were almost unrecognisable owing to the force of the impact. Lightning flinched when he saw a tyre with part of an axle still attached to it roll across the bottom of the screen. Luckily, he knew that Craig and Jamie had gone out onto the track ahead of Chaz, so they wouldn't be able to see any of it.

They could now hear Prodrive's manager, Tim Edwards, speaking on the radio to Chaz over the TV. "Mate, do not move, okay? We will try to get the medical team to you straight away, buddy. Just stay with us, okay?"

Lightning held his breath, waiting for Chaz to respond. He couldn't hear anything, so he hoped that was only because of the TV coverage. Dutto, who was still on the radio, was listening in to race control. He removed his headset.

"Chaz is conscious, but only just. He's said a few words, but they weren't very coherent. I've ordered Craig and Jamie to come in because of the red flag."

Nobody inside the Redbulldozer racing garage moved. Sighing, Dutto replaced his headset.

On the TV, Tim Edwards spoke over the radio again. "Just stay still, buddy. Just keep talking to us. Alright? You okay? You're still talking?"

Lightning drew in a sharp breath when he saw a wisp of smoke coming from Chaz's engine. That was never a good sign.

"My rear axle's real sore," Chaz said over the radio via the TV, just as the first responders drove over to him.

Lightning released the breath he'd been holding. He wasn't at all surprised by what Chaz had said. After losing a wheel, it was little wonder his axle was sore! Especially if it was his rear one.

The TV coverage changed briefly to show footage of Chaz's father inside the Prodrive pit garage. Understandably, he looked very concerned.

"It's all right, buddy, it's all right," Tim Edwards said soothingly over the radio and the TV, while the first responders drove around Chaz, trying to figure out where he was hurt the most. "They're on their way now, so just tell them where it hurts and make sure you don't move, okay?"

Dutto and Grant were both speaking on their radios. Lightning guessed they were talking to Craig, Jamie and race control to keep them updated with the situation. The TV coverage now changed to show a replay of what had happened to Chaz. Lightning gasped audibly when he saw, in slow motion, Chaz clipping the wall at the start of the Dipper. That made him steer out of control directly into the opposite wall, and from there, there was no going back. With a horrific screech of metal against tarmac and concrete, Chaz was little more than a passenger as gravity sent him hurtling down the mountain like a pinball travelling at 175 kilometres an hour. Lightning's eyes widened in horror when he realised that in his travels, Chaz had nearly gone over the concrete wall, sending a shower of debris directly into the path of several officials, who'd been parked behind the debris fence. Chaz's impact completely tore the debris fence to shreds, but luckily he didn't go through it the way Jimmy had. As the footage showed Chaz finally coming to a stop, Lightning found himself comparing Chaz's wreck with Jimmy's. Both accidents were remarkably similar given their impact, with the only difference being that Chaz was still alive, and he was more-or-less still in one piece.

Lightning couldn't stand to watch any more. However, as he started to drive out of the garage, his vision clouded over, and he began hyperventilating. Luckily, Leyland saw him.

"Lightning!" he shouted as he raced over to him. If Lightning had been able to see, he would've been amazed at just how fast his boss could actually move when he needed to. Dr Andrews followed the team boss over to Lightning, who looked ready to collapse.

"Lightning?" Dr Andrews called gently. "Can you hear me?"

Lightning nodded slowly, but he was clearly in distress.

"What's wrong with him?" Leyland asked anxiously.

"It's shock," Dr Andrews replied. "He needs oxygen, fast. There's a canister in my medical bag, along with a mask."

Leyland promptly retrieved them. Dr Andrews fitted the mask over Lightning's mouth, and then he let the oxygen flow.

"Take deep breaths, Speedster," Dr Andrews soothed. "You need to calm down."

Lightning obeyed. It took a few minutes, but Lightning's breathing rate finally returned to normal.

"I'm…I'm sorry," Lightning said once Dr Andrews had removed the mask.

"You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for," Dr Andrews told him firmly. "Nobody's blaming you for going into shock after seeing a wreck like that."

"How's Chaz?" Lightning asked weakly.

"They're preparing to take him down to first aid," Leyland replied. "They'll assess his condition there, and then they'll decide what to do from there."

Lightning nodded slowly. Trembling, he stood up straighter on his tyres. "He-he won't…die, will he?"

Leyland looked sympathetically at his youngest racer. His question made him realise that Lightning was comparing this accident with Jimmy's. Knowing just how delicate Lightning was at the moment, he decided not to give him a direct answer. That could easily increase his shock to a dangerous level.

"I can't answer that question, Lightning, I'm sorry."

Lightning shivered again, so Dr Andrews covered him with a silver blanket. "That'll help you recover from the shock. I'll keep the oxygen handy too, in case you need it again."

Dutto drove over to Leyland. "Tim Schenken wants a word with you."

Leyland put his headset back on. Lightning felt too tired to listen to the conversation, so he closed his eyes.

"Lightning!" Dr Andrews snapped, making the race car jump awake. "You need to stay awake for now, sorry."

Lightning yawned. "What about my qualifying for the Development Series?"

"It's been cancelled, which, given your current condition, is just as well," Dr Andrews explained. "Both qualifying rounds will happen tomorrow morning. Are you feeling strong enough to return to the hotel now?"

"I guess so," Lightning replied sleepily.

"We may as well come with you," Craig said, speaking on behalf of himself, Jamie and Paul. "This place is becoming too chaotic with the media."

On their way back to the hotel, they were swarmed by the media, who asked them endless questions at once. Seeing that Lightning was looking rather stressed out and exhausted, Jamie decided to address the media, to give them what they wanted, hoping that would make them leave them alone. He ignored all the cameras, microphones and voice recorders that were aimed in his direction.

"Speaking on behalf of myself, and my fellow teammates at Redbulldozer Racing Australia, it's never nice seeing an accident like the one Chaz had today. It's just a reminder that our sport is extremely dangerous, and at the end of the day we're all practically highly trained missiles. The last thing we want to see is anyone hurt, and something like this reminds us we're all part of a big family and united together in the sport. We all wish Chaz the very best in his recovery, and we hope to see him back racing again very soon. That's all we're going to say for now, thank you."

With the aid of the racetrack security, Lightning, Craig, Jamie, Paul and Dr Andrews made it back to their hotel. Sally and Elinor were waiting for Lightning when he finally entered his room. Without saying a word, both women embraced Lightning in a tight hug.

"Thank goodness it wasn't you who crashed!" Elinor whispered.

"I don't know what we'd do without you, Stickers," Sally added.

Completely overwhelmed by the day's events, Lightning fainted.

 **Wow! Long chapter... Hope everyone found that dramatic enough! I know I've been promising drama for a while now, so now you have some. The good news is that Chaz has fully recovered from this accident, and he'll be racing again this year. But now I'm getting ahead of myself, lol!**

 **Guest, I hope this answers your question about Craig and Elinor's ages? Thanks for pointing that out. I wasn't sure if I'd mentioned it previously or not.**

 **Please, please don't forget to review! I've appreciated all the feedback I've had so far, so please keep it coming.**


	57. Chapter 57 - Day 3 at the Bathurst 1000

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 57 – Day 3 at the Bathurst 1000

 **Day 3 of the Bathurst 1000, Mount Panorama Motor Racing Circuit, Bathurst, 200 kms west of Sydney, New South Wales – Saturday, 10 October, 2015.**

 _Through the darkness, Lightning saw the light from his headlights shining down on the tarmac he was racing on. Just ahead of him were the red tail lights of the Formula 1 car he was racing. Grinning, Lightning floored it as he attempted to overtake his rival._

 _Halfway up the home straight, Lightning was just about to overtake his rival, when all of a sudden there was a loud 'Bang!', and then Lightning started drifting out of control across the racetrack. Turning sideways, he flipped over and then he began to roll. Over and over he went, with his breath being knocked out of him every time he hit the tarmac. Finally, he felt himself come to rest against something soft, and that's when he blacked out…_

With a loud gasp, Lightning woke up. He glanced anxiously around, panting heavily as he tried to gather his bearings. He was inside his hotel room, with his dear wife parked beside him. Luckily, she was still fast asleep. After he'd shaken himself, Lightning snuck out of the room. Glancing at the clock on his way out, he saw that it was just after 1 a.m.

Lightning had just left his suite, when he heard a door close softly nearby. Looking down the hallway, he saw the dim outline of another car in the shadows. From the shape of the other car, Lightning guessed that it was a Holden Commodore.

"Pssst!"

The other car jumped. Turning, it shone its headlights straight at Lightning, making him squint. The other car quickly switched off his headlights. "Don't do that! Follow me. Quietly…"

Lightning relaxed when he recognised Craig's voice. Together, the two racers snuck out of the hotel, and they made their way over to the racetrack. Craig paused to wait for Lightning to catch up.

"What are you doing up?" Craig asked him once they were out in the open.

"Funny, I was just going to ask you the same question," Lightning replied. "I had a nightmare, so I thought I'd get some fresh air. What about you?"

"Same. What was your nightmare about?"

"My accident…" Lightning sighed. "Craig? I…I can remember everything that happened to me before I passed out! What do you think that means?"

Craig stopped driving for a moment. "I don't know… You should tell Doctor Andrews though. It's important for him to know. We all thought that you'd never be able to remember what happened."

Lightning nodded thoughtfully and they continued driving. "What was your nightmare about?"

Craig exhaled deeply. "Peter Brock's death. I'm just glad that I wasn't there to witness it. When I was told, I had the biggest shock off my life, and I was admitted to hospital for a few hours so I could be treated. That's why I wanted to come down to the racetrack. I just wanted to spend a moment of silence for him."

"Okay. I can go back to the hotel if you want to be alone."

Craig shook his front. "I'd rather have you with me, please."

Nodding, Lightning followed Craig.

Outside the entrance to the racetrack, a security guard stopped them. "Who goes there?" he demanded to know as he shone his torch at them.

"Ned Kelly and Captain Cook," Craig shot back, teasingly. Lightning stared at Craig in surprise. He had no idea what Craig was talking about!

The security guard chuckled. "Very funny, Craig. Did Leyland send you?"

"No, I just want to spend a bit of time on the grid, please."

The security guard shifted uncomfortably. "You know I'm not supposed to let anyone onto the racetrack after hours."

"We're hardly going to go for a few practice laps, are we? We're not that stupid. The noise of our engines at this hour would wake everyone within a twenty kilometre radius!"

"Well…" the security guard hesitated. "Okay, then. Ten minutes only."

"That's bags of time, thanks mate. Come on, Speedster."

A few minutes later, Craig and Lightning parked themselves on the start/finish line. Lightning remained respectfully silent while Craig held his private minute of silence in respect for his late mentor.

On their way back to the hotel, Craig broke the silence. "I understand that your mother spoke to you about us dating, and that you're okay with it."

"I am, actually. You're old enough to be my stepfather if things end up heading in that direction, and I already look up to you as my new mentor, so I don't have any problems with it."

Craig smiled warmly. "Thanks. Your mother is a wonderful woman, and if we did end up marrying, I want you to know that I will treat her with all the love and respect I can give her. I understand that it might be a bit awkward for us at first, but I'm sure we'll be able to work things out."

"At least I'm already married, so it shouldn't be too difficult," Lightning chuckled.

"Get back to your room! You'd better set your alarm, because your qualifying round has been rescheduled for seven o'clock in the morning."

Lightning quickly obeyed.

…

Lightning's alarm clock went off sharply at 5 a.m. Luckily, the race car was already awake, and so he shut it off before it disturbed Sally. After he'd showered, he left the hotel and he made his way over to the racetrack. Dutto was pleasantly surprised to see him there so early.

"I was just about to go and wake you. How are you feeling this morning?"

"To be honest, I'm not really sure. How's Chaz?"

"He was taken to Orange Base Hospital with a badly broken rear axle, a severed front right axle and multiple internal injuries. He is expected to make a full recovery, but he'll be out for the rest of the season."

"Oh. Where's Doctor Andrews?"

"He won't be here for another couple of hours. Go and have some breakfast. Doctor Anderson should be around by then to help you warm up."

Even though Lightning wasn't really hungry, he did as he was told. Sure enough, by the time he returned to the pits, Dr Anderson was waiting for him.

Dr Anderson had almost finished Lightning's physiotherapy session when Dr Andrews entered the transporter.

"Morning, Speedster. How are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm not really sure," Lightning replied honestly. "Physically, I feel okay, but there is something I need to talk to you about if you can spare a few moments."

"Well, unless it's very important to your health, I'm afraid it'll have to wait until after your qualifying round. Can it wait?"

"I suppose so," Lightning sighed as he slowly got up from the physiotherapy mat.

"Good luck," Dr Anderson called as Lightning left the transporter.

Lightning's qualifying session didn't go as well as everyone had hoped. On the first lap, he inadvertently freaked out at the place where Chaz had had his accident the day before, and ended up losing some valuable time, which he was unable to regain. Seeing how shaken Lightning still was, Leyland decided to end his qualifying session early, after only seven laps. Paul ended up getting pole position, with Lightning starting from second for the Development Series race that would take place later that day.

…

"Okay, Lightning," Dr Andrews said as he parked himself in front of his computer inside the transporter. He typed a few things into the computer, which brought up Lightning's file. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Do you remember how, after my accident earlier this year, I wasn't able to remember anything about it?"

"Yes, that is a very common side-effect with brain injuries like the one you had."

"So you've said. But, um…last night, I had a flashback where I was able to remember everything that happened."

"You had a flashback a few months ago, didn't you?"

"Yes, I had one straight after Jimmy died, but I didn't see everything that happened like I did last night. It frightened me, so I went for a short drive. I slept well the rest of the night though."

Dr Andrews picked up a small torch in his tyre. "Look straight me," he instructed. Once Lightning's eyes had locked onto his, he shone the torch directly into Lightning's eyes. "Tell me what you saw in your flashback."

"I saw the track, and Francesco racing ahead of me. That's how much I saw last time. Then, I saw that I was on the home straight. I was about to overtake Francesco when I heard a bang. I lost control, and then I started rolling. I hit something soft, and that's when I must have lost consciousness, because I don't remember anything else."

Dr Andrews put down the torch. "So, you remember everything now," he mused. "That is very unusual… Most unusual…"

"If it's so unusual, why did it suddenly happen to me now?" Lightning asked.

"I can't say for sure, but the shock you had yesterday might have caused it. We have a bit of time before your race this afternoon. I'd like to take you for a CT scan."

"What, now?"

"Yes. If we leave it much longer, I might not be able to see what I'm expecting to see." And with that, Dr Andrews dialled a number on his phone. Leyland answered after two rings.

"'Sup, doc?"

"I'm just letting you know that I'm taking Lightning off-site for a CT scan at the Bathurst Hospital. We should be back in about an hour."

"A CT scan? Why? Andrews, what is going on? Is Lightning okay?"

"He's fine. I can promise you, it's nothing major. But we must go now if you want Lightning back here in time for his race."

"Yes, of course. Do whatever you think is best. Just let me know as soon as possible if I need to find a replacement for him for Sunday."

"Stop being so paranoid," Dr Andrews told him firmly. "Lightning will be perfectly fine to race on Sunday. This scan will hopefully give us some good news."

"Okay then. Let me know when you get back."

"Will do."

…

A few hours later, Lightning and Dr Andrews were back inside the transporter. Dr Andrews was comparing Lightning's CT scans that had been taken that day with the ones taken immediately after Lightning's accident.

"That's very interesting…" he mused. "Very interesting…"

"What is?" Lightning asked. During the hour they'd spent at the hospital, Lightning had been examined by several neurologists, who'd been just as curious about his sudden remembrance as Dr Andrews was, and now he was feeling mentally exhausted.

"Okay, I need to explain this to you, so you can understand what's going on," Dr Andrews said as he turned to face Lightning. "When you had your accident, you suffered from what we call Post-Traumatic Amnesia. On the severity scale, yours was severe, which is why I was reluctant to let you race again, even when you felt okay. It can take several weeks or months for the patient to be able to return to their normal lives after such an injury, but some of the amnesia will often remain. I thought that would be the case with you, but surprisingly, yours seems to have cleared up. I can see some slight changes in the CT scan we just took. I must say that, considering how bad you were after the accident, your brain has healed up incredibly well. In fact, it looks very healthy to me. I suppose you were lucky you didn't suffer any brain trauma as a child, or you mightn't have been quite so lucky."

"How do you know I didn't suffer any brain trauma as a child?"

"I can see everything that's going on inside your brain in a CT scan," Dr Andrews replied, smiling. "Luckily for you, the technology hasn't yet been invented that will allow us to read thoughts, so even though I can see it, I can't understand it. Now, let's go and reassure Leyland. He seemed to be rather anxious about you."

…

The day didn't improve for Lightning. During the Development Series race, he couldn't manage to get close enough to Paul to overtake him, and therefore ended up finishing the race exactly where he'd started – in second place.

"At least you made it onto the podium," was all Leyland said to him after the trophy presentation. "I expect to see better results from you tomorrow."

"Translated – win, or else," Lightning muttered to himself as he drove out of the pit garage. "I suppose Kori's going to be hanging around waiting to interview me."

He stopped abruptly. Near the team's transporter, he saw Jamie and Kori kissing passionately. Looking to his left, he yelped when he saw Craig and his mother parked behind a tyre stand, also kissing passionately. He shook his front. "I hate seeing double! Now, where's Sally?"

Someone gently tapped him on his rear bumper, making him yelp again. Turning, he saw Sally standing directly behind him. She grinned proudly.

"And I hate missing out," she said, chuckling. Smiling, Lightning moved in for a kiss.

A moment, later, Leyland and Dutto emerged from the pit garage. Leyland froze when he saw all three of the team's racers engaging in passionate kisses with their respective partners. Dutto, who was busy reading a file, stopped beside him.

"Uh, Dutto?"

"Hmm?" Dutto slowly looked up.

"I don't know what you're putting into their protein drinks, but I strongly suggest that you leave out the love potion from now on."

Seeing the three couples, Dutto frowned, and then he shrugged. "Must be something in the water around here. Sorry."

Leyland exhaled in defeat. "Oh well. Might as well let them get it out of their systems. That way, they'll hopefully be able to concentrate on racing tomorrow. Now, what were we discussing?"

"Starting order for tomorrow's race."

Their voices faded away as they drove along slowly behind pit row, deep in discussion.


	58. Chapter 58 - Day 4 at the Bathurst 1000

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 58 – Day 4 at the Bathurst 1000

 **Day 4 of the Bathurst 1000, Mount Panorama Motor Racing Circuit, Bathurst, 200 kms west of Sydney, New South Wales – Sunday, 11 October, 2015.**

The big day had finally arrived. In just a few hours, the 'race that stops a nation' would begin. Inside his hotel suite, Lightning was already wide awake. He stared out of the window at the famous world-class racetrack that was in the near-distance.

 _Okay, this is it. Craig and I are the defending champions at this event. I need to focus and forget about everything that's happened this weekend. Chaz will be okay, and I'm better now, so nothing else will happen, just as long as I stay focused. I can do this. Speed. I. Am. SPEED!_

Having psyched himself up, Lightning left his suite filled with determination. Sally would head on down to the V.I.P. section later, after she woke up. Seeing Jamie also leaving his hotel suite, Lightning pounced on him.

"Good morning, Jamie!" Lightning gushed.

"Whoa! What's got into you this morning?"

"Nothing," Lightning replied. He turned around so that he was driving backwards. "I'm just really looking forward to this."

"So I can see. Come on. You need to save that energy for the race."

"Yes, boss!" And Lightning stuck his tongue out at Jamie before spinning himself around so that he was facing the right way.

…

When Lightning and Jamie arrived at the Redbulldozer Racing pit garage, they found the rest of the team already there.

"How are you feeling this morning, Lightning?" Dr Andrews asked.

"Great! And I'm ready to race."

Dr Andrews smiled. "That's good. I was worried about how you might sleep."

"Sally gave me some chamomile tea before I went to bed last night, and that really helped," Lightning replied.

"Good. Have fun today."

"Thanks, I will!"

Leyland parked himself in the middle of the garage. "Okay, everyone, listen up! Last year's race had both highs and lows for us. I want this year to be remembered for nothing but highs. Just remember, even though Craig and Lightning are our defending champions, they are not to have preference over Jamie and Paul, unless I order you to do so. Right, I think that's all for now. Let's get ready for warm-up."

Craig and Jamie began the warm-up session. However, after just one lap, Jamie and Paul did a full pit stop practice and racer swap.

"Be ready to do your pit stop practice, Speedster," Grant told him as the clock continued to countdown the time to the end of the session.

"I am. By the way, is Craig going to start the race, or am I?"

"We've decided, after much discussion, to let Craig start this year," Grant replied. "Leyland is concerned though, because we don't know what to do if it starts to rain."

"You know I'll do my best no matter what happens."

"I know. Okay, Speedster. Get into position. I'm about to call Craig in."

Craig and Lightning's practice pit stop went smoothly, however, Lightning only managed to complete one lap before the warm-up session ended.

…

By the time the racers' parade began at ten o'clock, Lightning's racing nerves had kicked into full gear. He was glad, because he knew that meant he was ready to race. He stood between Craig and Frosty in pit row, while the racers were announced by the commentators. A camera car zoomed his camera in on each racer as they were announced.

"Ladies and gentlecars, welcome to the Bathurst 1000! Lining up on the grid for the fifty-third running of this great race are some of the best touring car racers in the world. As always, the first team to leave pit row is the Redbulldozer Racing team. In the number one position is Jamie Win-Cup, who has had the fastest lap of the weekend, and with Paul Drivewell, the best co-racer in the business, they should be good. Second out of pit row is Jamie's teammate, Craig Louds, who is the defending champion. We haven't seen enough of him this weekend, but with his fellow defending champion from last year, Lightning McQueen, he's in with a chance. Moving right along down pit row to Prodrive Racing Australia, we have Mark Winterbottom, who is hoping to take the Number One sticker away from Jamie Win-Cup at the end of the season, and his co-racer, Steve Owens…"

Lightning didn't bother to listen as the rest of the racers were announced. He glanced uncertainly at Frosty. The Prodrive racer completely ignored him, which only added to Lightning's nerves. All he wanted to do now was to hit the racetrack, but with Craig starting, he had a long wait ahead of him.

At that moment, the enormous crowd, which considered of 201,416 vehicles, began to cheer and scream excitedly as Lee Carnaghan drove onto the starting grid, surrounded by his band. He took his familiar black Akubra off in a salute to the crowd.

"G'day everyone, and welcome to Bathurst!"

The crowd cheered again.

"Are you all looking forward to the race?"

"Yes!" the crowd shouted back.

"Well, I'm afraid you'll have to put up with me for a little bit first."

A ripple of laughter rang through the crowd. Strumming on his black guitar, Lee Carnaghan began playing the tune of his song, 'Australian Boy'. After he and the band had played the introduction, Lee began to sing.

"Well, I got roots where the saltbush grow. I´m an Australian Boy. In the land of boredom and brigalow. I´m an Australian Boy… I´m workin´ a rig for BHP. I´m an Australian Boy. I´ve got a girl back in Emerald, waitin´ for me. I´m an Australian Boy. Stuck out here at the end of the line, I got a few mates and I´m doin´ alright… I hit the weekend like a 303. I´m an Australian Boy. Kickin´ up a dust storm, blowin´ off steam. I´m an Australian Boy… We're back in Bathurst, it's a V8 thrill! And the crowd's goin' crazy upon the hill… Oohhoo! It´s layin´ rubber on the road; turnin´ up the heat. Oohhoo! Havin´ big times, hittin´ red lines. Takin´ knocks and gettin´ back on your feet… I´m a Townsville digger in Afghanistan. I´m an Australian Boy. Tell the kids that I´ll be home soon. I´m an Australian Boy… Ho!... Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. I'm an Australian Boy… Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. I'm an Australian Boy… I´ll stand by my mates, as I stand by the flag. I´m an Australian Boy. Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. I'm an Australian Boy… I believe in the green and gold. I´m an Australian Boy!"

With all the pre-race pageantry out of the way, Lightning turned to go back inside the pit garage. As he did, he glanced up at the V.I.P. section that was above the pits. He smiled when he saw Sally and Elinor looking down at him, but then he froze. With them was none other than Strip Weathers! Lightning stopped abruptly.

"Aren't you supposed to be in America?"

Strip shrugged his fenders. "I can afford to take a bit of time off, even on a racing weekend. Thought it was worth it to see you race in the Bathurst 1000."

"When did you arrive?"

"Very early this morning. I fly out again tomorrow morning."

"Hey, speedster!" Leyland shouted from inside the garage. "Stop chatting and get inside, out of the way."

"Yes, Leyland," Lightning muttered as he drove inside the pit garage.

…

Minutes later, all of the starting racers were lined up on the grid. Paul was starting for Jamie in their qualifying position of eighth. Craig was further back in the starting order, starting from fifteenth. Lightning and Jamie sat inside the garage with their eyes fixed on the TV screens as they waited for the race to start. Jamie glanced at Lightning with annoyance.

"Will you please stop fidgeting?"

"Sorry, Jamie, but I really wanted to start the race, like I did last year."

"Save your energy. You remember what happened to you last year, don't you?"

Lightning frowned as he remembered how he'd ended up having an argument with a tyre wall, which resulted in him blacking out momentarily. Then later, when the race had been stopped to repair some of the track, Craig's crew chief, JJ, had discovered that Lightning had severed an oil line during his impact. It had also caused further damage to an injury Lightning had sustained during a Piston Cup race a few weeks earlier, which a few weeks later had forced him to pull out of the second race of the Gold Coast 600. Despite all the setbacks, Lightning and Craig had still managed to win the race, even though Lightning had passed out after crossing the finish line. However, with the Development Series Championship at stake this year, Lightning couldn't afford to be quite as reckless as he had been the year before.

"Green flag!" Leyland shouted, so the pit crew could hear. Lightning focused on the screen in front of him. Five seconds later, the lights went out, and twenty-six V8 Supercars took off as quickly as they could. Lightning grinned. He never got tired of hearing the roar of his fellow racers' engines as they took off at the start of a race.

Craig had a much better start than Paul did. In fact, by the end of the first lap, Craig had managed to catch up a few places, and he'd also overtaken Paul. Leyland jumped onto the radio.

"Go easy, you two!" he ordered. "Paul, try to stay with Craig, but whatever you do, DON'T interfere with each other, is that understood?"

Lightning didn't hear his teammates' responses, but judging from the way Paul had settled down behind Craig, he guessed that they must have got the message.

On lap 7, Paul attempted to overtake Craig at Murray's Corner, but the more experienced racer managed to block him, so he settled back into Craig's slipstream. Three laps later, Paul found himself battling with Heimgartner down the home straight and then all the way up Mountain Straight. It came close, but Paul managed to get his nose in front, and he emerged ahead of his rival.

From then on, things went smoothly for the whole team for several laps, with Craig maintaining eighth position, and Paul holding onto ninth. On lap fourteen, Grant asked Craig how he was feeling.

"Yeah, I'm feeling good, mate," Craig replied over the radio. "Think I might start picking up the pace a bit though. Give Lightning a decent buffer when I come in to swap with him later."

"Sounds like a good plan," Grant agreed.

Seconds later, on lap 15, things turned ugly at the back of the field. David Wall suddenly lost water pressure, and he was forced to limp back to the pits. Shortly afterwards, Renee Gracie, who was racing as a wildcard entry with another female racer from Europe, found Wall's lost water at Forrest Elbow, and she crashed head-first into the concrete wall. The incident immediately triggered the safety car. Seeing the safety car head out onto the track, Leyland began snapping out orders before race control could even tell him about the safety car.

"Grant, we'll do a racer swap with Craig first, so tell him to come in. Lightning, get ready to go. Jamie, you get ready to go out too. We'll get you to swap with Paul on the next lap."

While Leyland had been talking, the pit crew had grabbed a set of tyres, and they'd begun taking up position outside the pit garage. Leyland didn't even have to tell them what to do. Lightning quickly double-checked to ensure he had a full tank of fuel, and a new set of hard racing tyres on before he took up his swap-over position just in front of where the pit crew was waiting for Craig to stop.

The pit stop was textbook, and within about thirty seconds, Lightning found himself accelerating onto the racetrack. Racing in his Development Series race the day before was nothing compared with this. He felt like he was competing in something more than just a race, and he knew why from what he'd learned the year before. This was the Bathurst 1000. There was nothing like it anywhere else in the world. Grinning, Lightning fell into formation behind the safety car.

Paul and Jamie's racer's swap also went perfectly, and by the time the race restarted, Lightning and Jamie had warmed up and they were ready to race. Unfortunately for Lightning, the race had barely restarted when Jamie snuck past him at Forrest Elbow.

"Hey!" Lightning exclaimed, startled. He floored it in a mad attempt to overtake his teammate down Conrod Straight, but he ended up going for a tail slide at the Chase, resulting in him losing valuable time. Needless to say, Grant wasn't terribly impressed.

"Settle down, Lightning," he ordered him firmly. "Jamie's the fastest racer out there right now, and he's under orders from Dutto to get into the lead, so just relax. You still have a long way to go, and anything can happen."

Reluctantly, Lightning agreed. So, instead of trying to stay with Jamie, he concentrated on overtaking one car at a time. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't catch the racer in fifth place, and that frustrated him.

On lap 35, Grant ordered Lightning to pit for two reasons. The first was because he was starting to run low on fuel, and the other reason was to get him out of the traffic for a while. Panting heavily, Lightning stopped in exactly the right place in the pits, and he was jacked up. The fuel nozzle was attached to his tank, and it began pumping the fuel into him, while the pit crew changed his tyres and checked his brakes.

"Brake pads are still okay," Lightning heard one of the pit crew members report to Grant over the radio. "We'll change them during his next pit stop."

"Copy that," Grant replied. "Okay, Speedster. You're tyres are done. We're just waiting on fuel now. Five seconds."

As soon as a jet of fuel shot out of Lightning's overflow tube, the nozzle was disconnected, and he was dropped down off the jacks.

"Okay, you're good to go now, mate," Grant told him. But Lightning was already driving away. "You've got cold tyres," Grant reminded him as he began to merge back onto the track.

"Copy that, Grant," he replied. Then he floored it. His engine was almost screaming as Lightning pushed himself into high gear up Mountain Straight. "Where am I sitting, and who am I racing now?"

"You're currently… Whoa! Yellow flag, Lightning, yellow flag. We've got another safety car. Heimgartner's co-racer just went into the wall at turn one."

 _Great!_ Lightning thought crossly as he began to slow back down. But then he realised something. _I've just had a pit stop, and the others haven't. If I can save my fuel and brakes until the next safety car, I might be able to swap over to Craig in a really good position…_

Smiling, Lightning continued around the track until he caught up with the racers behind the safety car. Most of the field was pitting, so Lightning found himself in fifth position. He was surprised to learn that Jamie and Paul had swapped back over in the pits, and now Paul was in first place.

 _The race is back on!_ Lightning thought excitedly as the safety car left the track on lap 39. One lap later, things got even better for the Redbulldozer Racing team.

"Mechanical black flag for racer number five," Tim Schenken, the race director, announced over the radio. "Rear brake lights aren't working."

 _This day is just getting better and better!_ Lightning smirked. Racer number five was Frosty, Craig and Jamie's biggest rival now that Chaz was out for the rest of the season.

Frosty's misfortune ended up being even better than Lightning had hoped. Under V8 Supercar rules, racers have just three laps to pit after a mechanical black flag has been issued, and Frosty ended up pitting one lap too late. Even though he managed to resolve his electrical issue by restarting his engine, he was slapped with a 15 second penalty pit stop, which absolutely infuriated him.

Lightning, on the other hand, could barely contain his delight. But he knew that, with the race not even half over, Frosty was still in with a chance, so he couldn't start celebrating yet. Two laps later, Lightning overtook another racer, and he found himself in third place.

"Great work, Speedster! Keep it up!' Grant praised over the radio. "Listen, we've got some rain heading our way, so we'll bring you in to pit in a few more laps, after we've done a racer swap with Jamie and Paul. Leyland doesn't want you racing in the wet, since you've had absolutely no experience with it."

"I understand," Lightning replied. "I could do with a drink too."

"I'll have one ready for you then," Grant promised.

Lightning was called into the pits on lap 58. He'd just switched on his pit lane speed limiter when Grant jumped on the radio again.

"Mate, we're going to do a brake pad change on you, as well as tyre change and refuelling, okay?"

"Copy that."

"Is there anything else you need done? Because we won't be able to do anything to you while you're resting."

"I can't think of anything else," Lightning replied.

"Okay. We're going to put a set of hard tyres on you, so hopefully the rain will hold off. Otherwise, we'll be in trouble if we do end up sending you back out in the wet."

Lightning didn't bother to reply. He stopped in exactly the right place for the pit crew to begin servicing him. Craig stood nearby, waiting eagerly to return to the track.

"Great work, Speedster," he praised. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Good luck, Craig!" Elinor shouted from the V.I.P. section above them. Chuckling, Craig returned his focus to the task at hand.

As soon as Lightning was dropped down off the jacks, Craig took off. The pit crew gently pushed Lightning inside the garage, so he wouldn't have to waste any of his fuel. He was fine with that since, owing to his smaller fuel tank, he'd need all the fuel for his next stint. Thanks to their relatively fast pit stop, Craig had returned to the field in tenth place, while Paul was racing in seventh. Lightning glanced at Leyland, but as usual, the team boss had his poker face on.

While Lightning was slowly sipping on his protein drink, he took note of everything that was going on. Frosty had dropped well back in the field, so with him out of contention, and Chaz Mostert out of action, the Prodrive team no longer appeared to be a threat to the Redbulldozer team's chances. However, Lightning could also see in the radar that heavy storm clouds were fast approaching.

Kori appeared at Lightning's side with her faithful camera car. "Hey, Lightning, can I talk to you for a few minutes, please?"

"Sure."

"You've just completed your first stint of the Bathurst 1000 for this year. How do you feel compared with how you felt this time last year?"

"It's a bit hard to tell so early on in the race. Physically, I've never felt better, which is surprising considering I had a bit of a cold on Thursday. Mentally though, this week has been a struggle. We all saw what happened to Chaz on Friday, and I think that's what's holding me back a bit. You try not to think about things like that, but at the same time, it's always at the back of your mind."

Kori nodded. "We all saw your reaction to Chaz Mostert's accident on Friday. What caused you to go into shock?"

Lightning glanced uncertainly at Leyland, but the team boss wasn't looking in his direction. "If you don't mind, Kori, I'd rather not answer that question on live TV. There are some things that race cars just don't want to talk about, because they bring back too many memories that distract us from doing our best."

"Okay, I understand. As the defending champion of this race, do you think you and Craig will win?'

"I couldn't say, Kori. Everyone who's racing out there today stands a good chance of winning. This is a long race, and as I was saying on Friday before Chaz's unfortunate accident, anything can happen. We just have to take it one lap at a time."

"Thanks, Lightning."

Meanwhile, thanks to all the pits stops undertaken by other teams, Paul was now leading the race, while Craig was sitting comfortably in third. Just as Lightning returned his attention back to the TV screens, he saw that Craig had just completed the fastest lap of the race, with a time of 2 minutes and 0772 seconds. He couldn't contain his smile, especially when he saw Frosty's co-racer, Steve Owen, sitting miserably in the pits to serve the team's fifteen second penalty.

Kori and he camera car approached Leyland. "Hey, Leyland. Can I ask you how you're feeling about your team's current position?"

"We're doing okay," Leyland replied. "I'll be happier if we're still in a similar position towards the end of the race, but all of our racers like to be at the front, so as long as they don't do anything stupid, I'm happy for them to be there."

"We just saw Lightning McQueen complete his first stint. Do you think you made the right decision in signing him onto your team?"

"Oh, absolutely! I've never regretted that. Of course, if he does decide to extend his contract with us, I'm sure it won't be long before he's named the best all-round racer in the world. He's a great asset to our team, and he's helped to put the V8 Supercars on the world stage."

"Going back to the race, I've noticed that you're really keeping your eye on the weather reports as they come in. Will the race be stopped if it starts to rain?"

"I doubt it. That's only happened once in Sydney, and that was because it got too dangerous to keep going. Here at Bathurst, we expect a bit of rain every year, so our only concern is for when we decide to make the call to throw on wet weather tyres. Also, I know that Lightning has never raced in wet weather, so while I would like him to experience it a bit, I also want to try and keep him out of it if I can."

"Okay, and one last question. I've noticed that you're also keeping a close eye on fuel levels. Is that another one of your concerns?"

"Ah, I think we should end this conversation now, Kori," Leyland replied with a grimace. "I still haven't forgiven Jamie for what happened last year."

Laughing, Kori quickly ended the interview.

A few laps later, Leyland gave the order for the pit crew to start rolling out the wet weather tyres. Lightning, having finished his drink, was enjoying a quick physiotherapy session with Dr Anderson. He didn't want to stiffen up while he waited for his next stint. Paul now had a huge 15.4 second lead over the rest of the field, so Dutto decided to take advantage of that.

"Time to come in now, Paul. You've done your minimum number of laps. We'll let Jamie take it from here. You've done an excellent job, mate. Good work."

"How many more compulsory laps do I need to do," Lightning asked Grant.

"Twelve. We'll do a racer swap with you shortly, so get ready."

"I'm ready to go now," Lightning replied.

Paul and Jamie's pit stop was, once again, flawless. With the second place racer also pitting, Craig was left in the lead. But before he could really do anything about it, Tim Blanchard had a disagreement with the wall at Reid Park, resulting in a broken front right axle. With the track under yellow flags, and the safety car being deployed, Craig reluctantly slowed down. Grant jumped onto the radio.

"I want you to come in on this lap, Craig, and do a racer swap. Lightning still has twelve compulsory laps to complete, and Leyland wants him to get them done before the rain hits."

"Copy that."

Lightning and Craig also had a fast, clean pit stop, and Lightning re-joined the race in second place behind Jamie. When the race restarted a couple of laps later, Jamie's restart was better than Lightning's but it wasn't long before Lightning had managed to close the gap to just under four seconds.

Then, the winds came. Having raced mostly in sheltered stadiums his whole career, Lightning found the sudden gusts of wind rather difficult to race in, but he kept going. Just as he'd reached the top of the mountain again, the heavens opened, and Lightning suddenly found that he had no traction.

"Grant, I can't grip the track!" he complained as he descended through the Dipper.

"Slow down, mate. Everyone's in the same position as you are. The track's just been officially declared wet, but we can't bring you in for another three laps. Do you think you can hang on for that long?"

"I'll try," Lightning promised.

Lightning did manage to make it around the wet track three more times, albeit, he suffered some massive tail slides and a few other near-misses that would send shivers through any race car. Elinor and Sally couldn't watch, but Strip was suitably impressed. He was amazed at just how much Lightning had learned in such a short period of time. It was obvious to him that Lightning's driving manner and skills had changed a lot. He only hoped that Lightning hadn't forgotten how to race like a Piston Cup racer.

On Lightning's final compulsory lap, the rain bucketed down, completely drenching the racetrack. All of the racers reduced speed in the treacherous conditions, and they switched on their headlights. Lightning hated getting the rain in his eyes, especially when it was difficult enough to see the racetrack in the best of weather conditions. Coming around Forrest Elbow for the final time, Lightning suffered a massive tail slide, which sent him skidding sideways. Luckily, he managed to save himself from colliding with the wall by counter steering just like he would've if he'd been on dirt, but it was a narrow escape. The sound of his screeching tyres caught the attention of everyone, and the cameras focused in on him as he went as fast as he dared down Conrod Straight in the driving rain.

Lightning's final pit stop once again went perfectly, despite the heavy downpour. Craig, fitted with wet weather tyres, returned to the field in second place behind Jamie.

"Urgh!" Lightning exclaimed once he was inside the dry garage. He instinctively shook himself off.

"Lightning McQueen!" Leyland shouted furiously. "Don't you ever do that again inside the garage! The pit crew will dry you off. You'll ruin the computers, shaking yourself off like that."

"Whoops! Sorry," Lightning apologised.

While Lightning was being towel dried by the pit crew, he listened to Jamie and Dutto, who were arguing over the radio.

"Jamie, you need to pit for wet weather tyres," Dutto was saying. "Come in on this lap."

"No, Dutto! The rain will ease up shortly. I'm staying out."

Leyland promptly jumped onto the radio before Dutto could respond. "Jamie Win-Cup! You will do as you are told, or you will face the consequences! I won't stand any attitude from you! If you don't pit on this lap, I will tear up your contract."

Lightning's eyes widened in surprise. Surely Jamie wouldn't be stupid enough to disobey orders twice in two years?

He wasn't. Thoroughly chastened, Jamie reluctantly entered pit row. Lightning saw Leyland breathe a small sigh of relief.

Thanks to the huge lead Jamie had over Craig and the rest of the field, Jamie was able to retain his lead even after his pit stop. However, as he took off up Mountain Straight, he noticed that something was wrong.

"Dutto, I'm getting a false reading from my throttle position sensor," he reported over the radio. "It's telling me that my engine isn't at full power when I know it is."

"We're already aware of that, mate, and we're keeping a close eye on it. It is only a minor issue, so don't worry about it."

"Okay."

Sure enough, Jamie's problem was nothing compared to the problems some of the other racers were facing. As the rain passed and the track began drying out, Craig found himself slowing down. By lap 101, Craig had dropped back to fourth, while Jamie's lead had increased to 33 seconds, despite them both still wearing wet weather tyres. Two laps later, Craig had had enough.

"That's it! I don't care what you say, Grant, I'm coming in for hard tyres."

"Okay, Craig," Grant agreed. "We'll be ready for you."

Once Craig had a fresh set of hard tyres bolted on, he set about reclaiming the ground he'd lost. Two laps later, Jamie pitted to get his fresh set of hard tyres and, at Dutto's insistence, a racer swap with Paul. Lightning watched from his recovery area as Jamie vented his frustrations at Dutto. As always, the crew chief remained calm and professional, before ordering Jamie to go and cool down.

From then on, with Craig and Paul in control for the team, things began to improve. As lap after lap went by, both racers moved slowly up through the field. By lap 113, Craig was sitting behind Reynolds in second position, while Paul was sitting comfortably in fourth. Then, just three laps later, Craig pounced, and he managed to slip past Reynolds at turn 2 to take the lead.

"Yes!" Lightning shouted with delight, while the rest of the team applauded.

Inspired by Craig's move, Paul also managed to overtake McLaughlin on the same lap, moving him into third place.

From then on, the race became a battle between the pit crews, as well as a battle out on the racetrack. After their next round of pit stops, in which Paul and Jamie swapped around again, the team began calculating how much fuel Craig and Jamie would need to finish the race. With Frosty now back in contention, much to Lightning's disbelief, it would all come down to how much fuel each racer had left in the final laps.

"Reynolds and Frosty need more fuel on their final pit stops than our racers do," Dutto reported to Leyland.

"What are the numbers?" Leyland asked.

"Uh…Craig needs another forty litres. Jamie needs fifty, Reynolds needs sixty-five and frosty needs seventy-five."

"Given the amount of time it takes to pump the fuel, I'd say our boys will need at least a twenty second pit stop," Grant added. "Prodrive are looking at thirty second pit stops, and they might decide to double-stack, which would also be in our favour."

"When should we bring them in?" Dutto asked.

"Leave them out for a few more laps," Leyland decided. "We're about due for a safety car."

Lightning drove over to Leyland. "May I listen in, please?"

"Sure," Leyland replied, and Dutto helped Lightning put on a headset.

Sure enough, just three laps later, the safety car was deployed after Scott Pye crashed out in the Cutting. Grant gave Craig the order to pit. Reynolds, Coulthard and Frosty followed Craig into the pits. Lightning knew that the race would be won or lost in this moment.

As soon as Craig stopped outside the pit garage, the fuel nozzle was forced into his tank. The team held their breath as they watched the monitors to see how much fuel was being dumped into Craig's tank. After just twenty-two seconds, Craig's tank was full again.

"Clear!" the pit crew member in charge of the refuelling shouted as soon as he'd removed the nozzle.

As predicted, Craig was the first to leave the pits, while Frosty was the last to leave out of the four who'd pitted together. Meanwhile, a new problem had arisen.

Dutto slowly removed his headset, and he turned to look at Leyland. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but did I just see Jamie pass the safety car under the yellow flags?"

Leyland's eyes widened in disbelief. "I hope not! He'd better not have done that…"

A lap later, Leyland's worst fears were realised when race control got in touch with him, to inform him the Jamie was currently under investigation for breeching safety car rules. After he'd spoken with race control, Leyland spoke to Jamie over the radio.

"Would you care to explain to me just why you decided to pass the safety car under caution?"

"I saw a green light on him as I approached him," Jamie replied. "I thought he was giving me the go-ahead to pass him."

"Right, well, we'll review the footage, and I'll let race control know what you've said."

But despite Jamie's excuses, race control determined that he had overtaken the safety car without permission while under caution, and shortly after the restart, Jamie was given a pit lane drive through penalty.

"Jamie, you're not to put any pressure on Craig now," Dutto told him firmly, but with a tone of sadness in his voice. "You've just blown your chances of winning this race for the second year in a row."

Jamie didn't bother to respond. In fact, he couldn't even look at the team as he drove past them during his drive-through penalty. He returned to the track in nineteenth position, and from then on, he just lost heart. Lightning watched on sadly as his teammate struggled to concentrate, which resulted in him having a minor collision with the wall at Skyline. Jamie wasn't badly hurt, and he managed to continue, but the spark he'd had was gone.

Meanwhile, Craig continued to increase his lead at the front of the field. With just one lap to go, victory was looking almost certain for Craig and Lightning.

"Come on… Come on…" Lightning muttered as he watched Craig bolt up Mountain Straight. Craig's engine was practically screaming from the punishment it was getting, but Craig didn't seem to care. He wasn't slowing down for anything.

"Mate, you've got eight litres of fuel left, and you only need about four and a half to finish, so go for your life," Grant told Craig over the radio.

Craig's only response was to continue accelerating as he began his descent. To Lightning's amazement, the crowd began to cheer and applaud as Craig raced towards the finish line to claim his seventh, and Lightning's second, Bathurst 1000 win. Lightning slowly removed his headset. The crowd was chanting something in unison, but it took him a few seconds to figure out what they were saying.

"Loudsey! Loudsey! Loudsey!"

Deeply moved, Lightning bowed his front in respect to his new mentor, while all around him the Redbulldozer Racing team joined in the celebrations.

Kernaghan, L (2013), CD, 'Australian Boy (Bathurst Version)' on _Beautiful Noise – Dulux Tour Edition_ , Mirabai Pty Ltd, Australia

 **Whew! Very long chapter! I'm sorry about that, but I did it for two reasons. One, I wanted to try and cover the whole race in one chapter, and two, I want to get this story finished asap, so I can begin writing the sequel. So, again, I apologise. It's taken me all week to write this chapter, so I hope everyone enjoys it. I had a lot of fun reviewing the video footage of the race, which is how I make sure I've got all the details and incidents correct.**

 **Thank you to everyone who's written a review recently! And thank you, Guest, for reminding me about the problems that could arise if Craig and Elinor decide to marry. Guess you'll just have to keep reading to see what happens, won't you? ;) Don't worry, I think I have all the plot holes covered. At least, I hope I do...**


	59. Chapter 59 - Celebration Time!

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 59 – Celebration Time!

 **Day 4 of the Bathurst 1000, Mount Panorama Motor Racing Circuit, Bathurst, 200 kms west of Sydney, New South Wales – Sunday, 11 October, 2015.**

Grinning broadly, Leyland threw off his headset. "Let's go, guys!"

Lightning went with the rest of the team to the other end of pit row, where the celebrations were already beginning. As they made their way through the tunnel, Lightning saw Craig parked in the middle of an enormous media pack. Unable to contain his emotions a moment longer, Lightning accelerated quickly towards Craig. When he reached his co-racer, Lightning leaned back onto his rear wheels. Then, as he landed on top of Craig's bonnet with his front wheels, he punched the air with his right-hand tyre.

"Yeah!" he shouted triumphantly to the crowd. "Ka-chow!"

The crowd cheered enthusiastically, while Craig wriggled his way out from underneath Lightning. Still grinning broadly, both racers posed for the cameras.

"Thanks for your efforts today, Speedster," Craig said as they drove up onto the podium. "You did a great job."

"Thanks, Craig," Lightning replied. He couldn't think of anything else to say, but at that moment, it really didn't matter. There'd be more time to talk about the race later.

"Loudsey! Loudsey! Loudsey!" the crowd chanted until the commentator began to announce the winners.

"Ladies and gentlecars! In third place, we have Garth Tander and Warren Luff!"

The crowd cheered, but not very loudly.

"In second place, Mark Winterbottom and Steve Owen!"

Again, the cheering wasn't very enthusiastic, except from the Prodrive supporters.

"Representing the winning team of Redbulldozer Racing Australia, please welcome team owner, Leyland Dane."

The cheers and applause were much louder as Leyland drove across the podium.

"And in first place, the winners of the Bathurst 1000, Craig Louds and Lightning McQueen!"

Now, the crowd erupted into a resounding cheer. Then, they began chanting again. Looking down, Lightning saw the rest of the team joining in the chant for Craig. Surprisingly, even though everyone was cheering for Craig, Lightning didn't feel the least bit jealous. In fact, he felt nothing but pride as he and Craig raised the Peter Brock trophy between them, posing for more photographs.

"Speech! Speech!" the Redbulldozer Racing team shouted.

Glancing at each other, Craig and Lightning shrugged. Then they drove over to the microphone. The crowd quietened down when Craig began to speak.

"Thank you, everyone. Uh…I still can't believe I'm up here again. This is the second year in a row, and it's still pretty amazing. Of course, I wouldn't be up here today if it hadn't been for my sensational co-racer, Lightning. Mate, you were just incredible out there, and I hope we can continue to do just as well at the Gold Coast 600. My thanks also go to the rest of the team. You guys were amazing, as usual, and we wouldn't be standing up here without you, so thanks again."

Now, it was Lightning's turn to make a speech. Scanning the crowd, he smiled when he saw Sally and Elinor parked alongside each other.

"Wow! I haven't had to make a speech for quite a while, so I might be a bit rusty… First of all, I admit I was very touched by the way you've all been chanting for Craig. He-"

Lightning was cut off as the crowd cheered again. He waited until the noise had died down a bit before he continued.

"Craig has been an amazing teammate, and I hope that we continue to have a close friendship going into 2016. In my opinion, he more than deserves to win the Championship this year. I'd also like to thank the rest of the team. You guys have been so incredibly supportive behind the scenes, and without you, we simply wouldn't be here. Thanks again."

The crowd erupted into a resounding chorus of cheers and applause. With the help of a couple of forklift grid girls, the champagne bottles were uncorked, and the winning racers began to shower everyone in sight with the expensive beverage. Craig and Lightning poured most of their champagne all over Leyland, much to the amusement of the crowd below.

"Gee, thanks for that, you two!" Leyland spluttered as he shook the champagne off himself. "Go and drown the rest of the team! Please!"

Laughing, Craig and Lightning left the podium to go and savour their victory.

…

Meanwhile, Kori saw Jamie slinking away down behind the transporters. Ever the professional, she drove up alongside him, while her colleague began filming.

"Jamie, could you tell us why you thought you could get away with passing the safety car?"

Jamie seethed quietly with rage, but he tried to stay calm. "I saw a green light on the safety car, so I thought he was giving me permission to pass him. Obviously, I was wrong, and I accept that. Now, if you don't mind, I have some post-race stuff to sort out."

Nodding, the camera car stopped filming. As soon as he'd driven away to go and film something else, Jamie turned on Kori.

"Kori, I think we should break up."

To say that Kori was stunned was an understatement. "What?"

"I blew a race because I was distracted by you! Whether you like it or not, I saw you when I left the pits, and I wasn't watching where I was going. By the time I realised that the safety car was there, it was too late. I'd already passed him! This just isn't going to work, I'm sorry. I've never had a relationship before for one simple reason. Women at racetracks are big distractions! They don't belong here! The grid girls are bad enough, and now they're letting females compete in the Development Series! As I said, this just isn't going to work out between us. I'd rather remain a bachelor and win races than have a girlfriend and lose them. Is that too much to ask?"

Sighing sadly, Jamie started to drive away, but Kori's next words made him pause.

"If Lightning McQueen can be happily married and still win races, surely you can too! Or perhaps this is a sign that you're nowhere near as good a racer as you may think! Perhaps, you've just been lucky all these years. I wonder how you'd get on without Leyland Dane and Redbulldozer sponsoring you! But then again, what does it matter? You're just a spoilt jerk, which is exactly what Lightning was ten years ago! Grow up, Jamie Win-Cup, before you lose more than just your ego!"

Snorting indifferently, Jamie continued on his way back to the team's pit garage. Some of the pit crew were already starting to pack up the team's equipment. Jamie breathed a small sigh of relief, but then he froze again when he saw Leyland enter the garage. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, before Leyland drove over to where he'd left his computer. Jamie hesitantly drove closer to him.

"Leyland? I-I'm sorry."

"Don't talk to me, Jamie Win-Cup," Leyland replied in the flat, even tone he used whenever he was absolutely seething with rage. "If you say one more word to me today, I'll more than likely tear up your contract. You're lucky I haven't already done that. If Craig and Lightning hadn't won the race, I probably would have. Your mistake today has cost you dearly, because guess where you are in the Championship now? Eighth! Just go away. I might feel like talking to you tomorrow, but now is not the time. If you must say sorry to someone, go and say it to Paul."

 _Paul? Yes, of course!_

Nodding slightly, Jamie reversed away. He only hoped that Paul would still be willing to talk to him.

…

"You raced beautifully today," Elinor told Craig as they drove down behind the pits. "I'm so glad you and Lightning won. You deserved it, and now you're in second place in the Championship."

"I feel bad for Paul though," Craig said. "He did such a brilliant job, and then Jamie went and blew it on him."

"That's racing."

"Yeah. I thought you hated it though."

"It's true that I used to hate racing. Seeing my uncle die in a racing accident was horrible, and I'll never forget it. But now that Lightning's been racing, I've been able to see all the safety changes that have been implemented over the years. It's so much safer now, but I still hate seeing cars get hurt. That's why I decided to become a nurse. I used to feel completely useless whenever someone got hurt. Now, I can help fix them up, and I find that very satisfying."

Pausing behind the Redbulldozer transporter, Craig and Elinor faced each other. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, Elinor, and the more I think about it, the more I realise that I couldn't bear to live the rest of my life without you. You are an amazing woman, Elinor, and I love you so much that it hurts my engine whenever I think about you."

Elinor blushed, which showed against her dark blue paintwork. "Get to the point, please Craig."

"Elinor… I'm trying to ask you to marry me."

Elinor's jaw dropped. "I-I don't know, Craig… I do love you, but we both have our own lives. You're a successful racer, and I have my work back home in the States and…"

Craig planted his lips against Elinor's to stop her talking. She nearly melted in front of him.

"Oh, goodness!" Elinor gasped once they finally broke off the kiss. She breathed heavily for a moment. "Well, if that's a sample of what you're offering…"

"Elinor, have I told you that Doctor Lee is looking for a new assistant nurse?" Craig asked, smiling.

"No."

"Just think. If you got the job, you could travel to all the races with me! If you don't, I'm sure Leyland would be happy to have you assist Doctor Andrews."

Elinor still looked sceptical. "What about your divorce?"

"We've settled the terms, and it'll be going before the courts in a couple of weeks. I'll be free to marry again after that."

"And Lightning?"

"I've spoken to him several times, and he's quite comfortable with the idea of us marrying."

"Really?" Elinor still looked unsure.

Craig exhaled deeply. "It's okay, my dear. I'll give you some more time to think about it. I understand how difficult it must be for you decide when you've already got your life established in another country."

"It isn't that. I just want to be certain that Lightning is completely comfortable with you becoming his new step-father. Especially since you're both teammates. Let me talk to him again, and then I'll give you my answer."

"All right," Craig agreed.

…

In the meantime, Lightning had caught up with Strip Weathers, who had returned to the V.I.P. section to get a quiet drink. He offered one to Lightning, but Lightning wisely refused it.

"You just won the Bathurst 1000!" Strip protested.

"I've been trying to avoid having alcohol ever since Jamie accidentally poisoned me with it just before my wedding," Lightning replied.

"Oh, I see. Now, we need to have a little talk, don't we?"

Lightning smiled slightly. "Before you try to talk me into racing in the Piston Cup again, I think I'd better give you my answer. Yes, I will race in the Piston Cup. I've decided that I will race in one race before the end of the year, as a wildcard entry."

Strip looked pleasantly surprised. "That's fantastic! I was prepared to fight you all the way for this."

"What decided me was the fact that I'm getting a new crew chief next year, and Leyland suggested that a Piston Cup race would be a good opportunity for me to get used to him without it impacting on my Development Series races."

Strip nearly laughed. "I have to say, Lightning, you have the best team boss possible! In that case, have you decided which race you'll go in?"

"I've discussed it with Leyland, and we think I should go in the last race of the season, the Rust-Eze 400. Unfortunately, it clashes with the Championship Series race weekend at Philip Island, so Leyland won't be able to attend, but I'll be able to bring my own pit crew with me, and probably my mother, who'll be my nurse. I know that, as a wildcard entry, I'll have to start from the back of the field, but I'm fine with that. I'm not going out there to win this time. This is purely a training session for me. I won't you to know that I won't be pushing myself unnecessarily."

After Dinoco had been banned from holding any sponsorships in the Piston Cup after the scandal the year before, the Dinoco 400 had been renamed the Rust-Eze 400, since Rust-Eze was now the biggest team in the series, despite Jimmy's tragic death.

"I understand, and it sounds like you've got everything worked out," Strip smiled. "I'll email the entry forms to you. Make sure you email them back to me before the first of November. Your entry fees will have to be in by November fifteen. You'll have to report to the racetrack no later than November twentieth, so you can have time for a full medical. Since you've been away from the series for so long, I'm afraid you won't be allowed to race without it. You shouldn't have any difficulties passing it though."

"I know all the rules, Strip," Lightning sighed. "But thanks for reminding me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm rather tired. It's been a long day."

"Of course. Oh, and Lightning? Congratulations."

"Thanks," Lightning smiled, and then he left.

Lightning was just making his way back to the team's pit garage, when he saw Elinor driving towards him.

"Hi, mum!"

"Congratulations, sweetie!" Elinor replied, hugging him tightly. "I'm so proud of you!'

"Thanks!"

Elinor drew in a deep breath. "Sweetie, I was wondering, how would you feel if Craig and I decided to get married?"

"Honestly?"

Elinor nodded. Lightning stared deeply into his mother's dark blue eyes.

"I don't want you to think that you need to get my permission to fall in love," he replied. "I've been watching you and Craig over the last month, and I can see that you're very much in love with each other. He might be a bit younger than you, but he's not a toy boy like that Payne fellow was. He loves you, mum, and I know he'd never do anything to hurt you. And, I also respect him as my mentor. We've discussed that and, while it would take some getting used to, I think we'd be very happy being in the 'step' relationship."

Elinor smiled wistfully the whole time Lightning spoke. "Thank you, sweetie. You've helped me make up my mind."

And with that, Elinor drove away to find Craig. Chuckling, Lightning continued on in the opposite direction. He had a few post-race things he needed to discuss with Leyland.

…

"Paul, I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!" Jamie begged his teammate, who was preparing for his long drive back to Sydney.

Paul scowled. "You're just lucky that I managed to beat Lightning in the Development Series race, or I'd have your bonnet on a platter. You've been a champion for too long, Jamie, and now that it's slipping from your grasp, you can't handle the pressure. What were you thinking when you passed the safety car?"

"I got distracted."

"By Kori?"

Jamie just nodded meekly. Paul snorted.

"Yeah, I saw her behind the transporters in tears. You ditched her, didn't you?"

Again, Jamie nodded. Paul glared furiously at him.

"You're pathetic! It wasn't her fault at all! This mess was your fault entirely, and you know it! Perhaps poor Kori is better off without you."

And with that, Paul took off, leaving Jamie behind in a cloud of dust.

…

A few hours later, after dinner, Lightning and Sally were making their way back to their hotel suite, when they saw Jamie parked outside on the common balcony. Lightning gave Sally a quick kiss on her fender.

"I'll just have a quick chat with him," Lightning whispered.

"Okay. Please, don't take too long."

"I won't."

After Sally had gone further down the hallway, Lightning drove up alongside Jamie. They said nothing for a few minutes, but then Lightning broke the silence.

"It's a nice night, isn't it?"

Jamie stayed silent. But then, just when Lightning was about to give up and leave, Jamie spoke.

"You're probably the only one who wants to talk to me right now."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. Everyone's just really disappointed in you."

Jamie slammed the railing with his tyre, venting his frustration. "I could've won! If I hadn't been distracted by Kori…"

"Kori's still very upset," Lightning told him. "While she may have distracted you, you hurt her very badly. She's in love with you, Jamie, and yet you just pushed her aside as if she was nothing. But, if that's how you're going to treat her when things get difficult, she doesn't deserve to have you."

"Paul said that too," Jamie said, sighing. "Today has just been a huge nightmare! Even Leyland threatened to tear up my contract. What am I going to do?"

"If you're smart, you'll take my advice," Lightning said firmly.

Jamie turned to face him. "And what advice is that?"

"Pull your hood, or your bonnet, in. You remind me of exactly what I was like ten years ago. I was rolling in money, winning races, not to mention being the pin-up-boy for every teenage girl. But then, when I was snapped back into reality, I realised just how obnoxious I was. It changed me for the better, and now I regret being the car I used to be."

"That's fine, but how do I go about it?"

"Lay low for a while. Stay away from Leyland, and just do exactly what you're told to do, even if you don't agree with it. That way, if someone makes a mistake, it won't be your fault, and you won't be in Leyland's 'bad books'."

Jamie nodded slowly. "I see. Thank you very much, Lightning. But, what should I do about Kori?"

"Send her some flowers and a card with your written apology. Tell her that you've realised that you're not comfortable with a relationship right now, but you hope that she understands that your decision to break up with her was made in anger, and that you didn't mean to hurt her. Knowing Kori as well as I do, she'll understand. It doesn't mean she won't still be upset, but she'll understand."

"Thank you, Lightning. I'll do that." He chuckled slightly. "I don't know what we'd do without you."

Lightning shrugged. "We're a team. We need to stick together."

…

Inside the hotel's restaurant, Craig and Elinor were still parked at their table admiring each other. Nothing could wipe the smiles off their faces.

"Just make sure you don't let anyone know about our engagement yet," Craig whispered. 'I doubt it'll affect my divorce, since it's what my ex wants, but you just never know what she could do to spite you."

"I understand. Of course, it won't be easy keeping it a secret from Lightning and Sally, but I'm happy to wait until your divorce is finalised before we tell them."

Still smiling, the two lovers kissed passionately again. They did not see Kori parked with Mrs Louds in the restaurant's entry, watching them.


	60. Chapter 60 - Day 1 at Gold Coast 600

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 60 – Day 1 at the Gold Coast 600

 **Day 1 of the Gold Coast 600, Surfers Paradise Street Circuit, Gold Coast, 78 kms south of Brisbane, Queensland – Saturday, 24 October, 2015.**

Frowning, Lightning drove behind pit row, towards where Kori and the former Mrs Louds, who was now going by her maiden name of Ms Philips, had asked to meet him. He wasn't too happy about this meeting, especially after Craig's divorce with his wife had already passed easily through the court. He didn't know why the two women wanted to meet with him, but he knew he couldn't ignore them if he wanted his mother and Craig to be happy together. At least he was meeting them in public, and not in sight of Sally or Elinor, who were both enjoying the V.I.P. hospitality once again.

"Hello, Lightning," Kori said when he joined them. She sounded tired.

"Hi, Kori. Is everything okay?"

"I suppose so. I've just been swamped with work, so I've been putting in some extra hours. How are you?"

"That all depends on why you've asked to see me today," Lightning replied.

"I wanted to see you," Ms Philips interjected. "Kori's just here for moral support. I want to know if Craig and your mother are planning to get married."

"Does that really matter? I mean, you're divorced now, so why should you care if he decides to get married again?"

"We still have joint custody of the children, so it is important for me to know who my kids' potential step-mother is going to be."

"Not to mention that if they do marry, I'd be a step-brother to your kids," Lightning shot back. Then he exhaled deeply. "Look, I don't know what they're planning, or if they are planning anything, they haven't confided in me. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anything more than what you already know."

Ms Philips nodded. "I see. Thank you, Lightning. I suppose you were expecting me to be bitter, and wanting vengeance, weren't you?"

Lightning nodded slowly.

"That's what I thought. The truth is, I was the one who wanted this divorce because I no longer love Craig. I knew he'd move on, because I've now moved on." She smiled. "Yeah, I'm now dating a man who can give me the attention I need. I wish Craig the best, and if he does marry your mother, I expect I'll see more of you."

"Yeah." Lightning couldn't think of what else to say. "I guess I'd better get back to the pits."

"Good luck!" Kori called as Lightning drove away.

…

After his chat with the ladies, Lightning relaxed completely. He'd had a couple of good practice runs the day before, placing seventh and ninth, while Craig had also done well. Jamie, on the other hand, wasn't having a good weekend, having placed twenty-fourth out of twenty-five in his second practice run. Paul had also done well, which made Jamie's poor performance really stand out.

Now, all Lightning had to do was to chill out with Paul, while Craig and Jamie underwent the stress of qualifying and top ten shootout.

Dr Andrews drove over to Lightning. "I just need to check your resting RPMs. Doctor Lee wants it for his records," he said as he attached a sensor to Lightning's bonnet. Lightning yawned widely, making Dr Andrews chuckle. "Looks like I chose the best time."

After a moment, Dr Andrews removed the sensor. "Fifty RPMs," he mused. "Perfect!"

"What's the average car's resting RPMs?" Lightning wondered. "I've forgotten."

"Seventy-six," Dr Andrews replied. "It's perfectly normal for racers to have lower RPMs than other cars. It's because you're fitter, so you're able to regulate your engine better than the average car."

Smiling, Lightning settled down for a nap. The sounds of the other racers charging around the racetrack was surprisingly soothing, and he drifted off to sleep.

The blast from a horn made Lightning awake with a yelp. Craig was parked directly in front of him.

"Wake up, sleepyhead! You've missed the top ten shootout. You and I are starting the race from sixth."

Lightning shook himself. "What about Jamie and Paul?"

"They're starting from seventh."

Lightning breathed a small sigh of relief. "Hopefully, the four of us can do an amazing job for the team."

"Let's go grab some lunch. We have a couple of hours before the race. I also want to talk to you."

"Okay. What about?"

"Your mother and I."

"Thought so."

Craig waited until he and Lightning were settled down inside the cafeteria tent, having their lunch, before he continued.

"Two weeks ago, straight after our Bathurst win, I secretly proposed to your mother. After some thought, she accepted."

Lightning grinned broadly. "That's awesome! So, when's the wedding?"

Craig laughed. "We have discussed that, surprisingly, and we think December would be the best time for it."

"Before or after Christmas?"

"Not sure yet," Craig replied with a shrug. "Elinor and I decided to tell you and Sally today, so you can start helping us plan. Now, hurry up and finish that. Leyland wants to have a strategy talk with us."

…

"Okay, everyone, listen up!" Leyland said once everyone had arrived back from lunch. "Since Craig and Jamie qualified in sixth and seventh place, I've decided that Lightning and Paul will start the race. You both have to complete thirty-four laps, and since Lightning's fuel capacity is thirty-eight laps, we'll probably bring him in for a pit stop early on in the race; especially if it rains. If the rain holds off, he should be okay. Right, I think that's all you need to know. Let's get ready to race!"

Lightning was thrilled to be allowed to start the race. After his morning nap, he was more than ready for the task ahead of him.

Half an hour later, Lightning found himself on the starting grid along with the rest of the co-racers. It seemed as though every other team had decided to start the race with their co-racers. Paul was behind Lightning, and to his left. They revved their engines harmoniously in eager anticipation.

"Green flag, Speedster, green flag," Grant told Lightning over the radio. "Five seconds."

Lightning stared hard at the starting lights. The instant they went out, he accelerated. Unfortunately, he wasn't as fast off the grid as Paul, resulting in him dropping back behind him. By the time he'd reached the hairpin at turn four, Lightning had settled down into position, and he was racing nicely. But then, up ahead, he saw Paul try to overtake Taz Douglas on the inside, which ended with Taz spinning out. Two laps later, a similar thing happened, only this time Paul tried to overtake on the outside at turn four, which resulted in him inadvertently taking out Dean Canto. Frustrated, Lightning turned his radio over to the frequency that allowed him to talk directly to Paul.

"Paul! Stop racing like Jamie does! I'm right behind you, and Leyland will be furious if you take us both out of the race!"

Paul seemed to get the message, because he appeared to settle down after that. However, a few laps later he was forced to pit with some damage to his front right-hand side. Lightning kept racing. He was doing quite well in fifth place, when he was forced to stop for fuel and tyres on lap thirty-eight, owing to his small fuel tank. Other racers pitted with him, including Frosty.

The pit stop was going smoothly until Frosty was released from his pit bay. Having lost his right rear-view mirror early on the race, he was unable to see Garth Tander coming down pit row, resulting in the two of them side-swiping each other. The force of the collision pushed Frosty to the left, and he bumped into two of Lightning's pit crew, who quickly leapt out of the way.

"I'm protesting that release," Lightning heard Leyland mumble over the radio.

"Did Frosty hit you, Lightning?" Grant asked with concern.

"No, I'm fine."

"Okay, you're good to go now then."

Lightning returned to the racetrack. A lap later, he was informed that Frosty had been slapped with a drive-through penalty for an unsafe pit stop release.

"That's not enough!" Lightning snapped furiously. "They were extremely careless! The whole Prodrive team should be punished!"

"Calm down, Speedster," Grant soothed. "Tim Schenken has already said that they'll review the incident again after the race."

Nodding, Lightning returned his focus to the race.

On lap sixty-one, Grant made Lightning pit for his swap with Craig. The reason why they chose to do it then was because the teams had to do a minimum of two pit stops, so it was good strategy to send Craig out with a full tank of fuel and let him finish the race without having to make another compulsory pit stop.

"Great work, Speedster," Grant praised as Lightning drove inside the pit garage after the pit stop and racer swap had been completed.

"Thanks,' Lightning panted. "I felt really good today. Can't wait until tomorrow." And he went over to the bar fridge to get a protein drink.

But while things were going well for Craig and Lightning, things were going horribly wrong for Jamie and Paul. On lap sixty-four, Jamie, who'd just taken over from Paul, lost control, and he ended up slamming his right-hand side hard into the wall at turn eleven. The collision sounded absolutely terrible for those who heard it.

"Jamie, are you okay?" Dutto asked him with concern.

"Yeah," Jamie gasped. "Just had the breath knocked out of me for a sec. I'm not sure what happened. My engine's cut out, but I think it's okay."

"Do you think you can make it back to the pits?"

"I'll see."

Jamie managed to restart his engine. But then there was trouble.

"I have no right-hand steering," Jamie reported as he began to limp back to the pits.

"Okay, I think you should try and pull over somewhere safe, and we'll send the rescue crew to go and collect you. Leyland's just telling race control that you can't make it back to the pits."

Seconds later, the safety car was deployed. It took a few laps under safety car conditions, but soon Jamie was brought back to the pits on the back of a tilt-tray truck. He looked very sore and sorry for himself. A commentator asked Leyland what he thought of Jamie's crash.

"I think he just wants to get the year behind him," was all Leyland said.

Luckily, the damage to Jamie's steering was found to be nothing worse than a severed hydraulic tube, which was quickly replaced with a new one. After he'd had his hydraulic fluid topped up, and a few other superficial injuries panel beaten back into place, Jamie was able to return to the race.

"Just try to finish in one piece, mate," Leyland told him as he accelerated back onto the track. "Don't push yourself."

Finally, the race came to an end. Lightning couldn't wipe the grin off his face when Craig finished in third place, but inwardly, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Jamie and Paul, who finished in twenty-fourth place. At least they managed to collect a few points just for finishing, but it was still very disappointing for them.

"Never mind, Jamie," Lightning said to him after he and Craig had received their third place trophies. "You finished the race, and that's the most important thing."

"Yeah," Jamie sighed tiredly. "I think I'll go home and have an early night though. I'm feeling rather sore…"

"Goodnight," Lightning called as Jamie drove away from the pits.

Grant drove over to Lightning. "I've got a bit of good news for you. The officials have given Prodrive a fifty point team penalty for their unsafe release earlier."

"I suppose we should be grateful," Lightning sighed. "I was hoping they'd get a big fine, or something like that. At least that should make a sizable dent in their chances for getting the Team's Championship."

"Yeah. Well, goodnight, Speedster. See you bright and early in the morning."

"Goodnight Grant."

 **A big thank you to those who have left a review lately. I've noticed that these have declined, but I suppose that's due to the length of the story, and also possibly the lack of any real drama. The truth is, I'm trying to wrap up this story as quickly as possible, so I can make a start on the Sequel - Lightning the V8 Supercar - which will follow this year's events in the V8 Supercars. Therefore, I only have another 4-5 chapters planned for this story. With the first race of the season beginning this coming Sunday, I am really going to do my best to finish off this story as quickly as possible! I know everyone keeps telling me not to rush, but I'm pretty much over this story, lol! especially now that I know how it will end, I just want to get it done. So, if you notice that the quality has declined somewhat, I'm sorry about that.**

 **Anyway, I hope you keep enjoying this story as it begins to wrap up. Stay tuned for the sequel, which I should start writing in about a week or two, depending on how fast I get this one finished.**


	61. Chapter 61 - Day 2 at Gold Coast 600

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 61 – Day 2 at the Gold Coast 600

 **Day 2 of the Gold Coast 600, Surfers Paradise Street Circuit, Gold Coast, 78 kms south of Brisbane, Queensland – Sunday, 25 October, 2015.**

"And what are you so cheerful about?" Craig asked Lightning when he entered the pit garage after the qualifying session.

Lightning ceased humming. "Oh, I'm just happy that you've qualified us in second place for today's race. I'm also happy for Jamie and Paul. They've qualified in fourth."

"Not to mention the fact that I'm going to become your step-father in just a couple of months." And Craig gave Lightning's roof a rub with his tyre.

Lightning scowled. "Let's get one thing straight, here and now. I am NOT your pet!"

Leyland burst out laughing. He'd both seen and heard the entire conversation. "Okay, you two. That's enough. You can play 'happy families' later. Go and grab some lunch, and relax, but make sure you're both back here by two o'clock."

"Don't worry, Leyland," Craig reassured him. "I'll make sure Speedster here stays out of trouble."

"Hey! I resent that!"

"You can resent all you like," Craig replied with a mischievous wink. "Let's go before Leyland changes his mind."

…

Despite Paul being slapped with a twenty-five point penalty for his minor collision with Dean Canto the day before, Leyland decided to keep with the same strategy used in the previous day's race, by starting Lightning and Paul again. Some of the other teams had decided to alter their strategy by starting their primary racers. It was obvious that strategy was going to play a huge part in the race today.

As Lightning rolled into the second place position on the grid, he cast a glance at Scott McLaughlin, who'd won pole position. McLaughlin also cast a wary glance at Lightning, but no words were exchanged between them. Lightning realised then that, for the first time, the Championship racers were starting to see him as a serious competitor. That thought made Lightning smirk with delight.

"Focus, Lightning," Grant quietly prompted over the radio. "Green flag. Five seconds."

Lightning made his engine rev so loudly and aggressively that it startled McLaughlin right at the moment when the lights went out. Before poor McLaughlin could recover enough to start moving, Lightning had already taken off. McLaughlin set off in hot pursuit, but by the time they'd reached the chicane, lightning had established a solid lead.

"Great start, Lightning!" Grant praised. "Keep it up!"

Lightning did so until lap eight, when a collision between Pither and Pederson at turn eleven resulted in Pither running down an escape road. Seconds later, Pither's engine caught alight owing to some leaking fuel, but it was quickly extinguished by a couple of marshals. He was okay, but the incident resulted in the safety car being deployed.

While the safety car was out, Kori took the opportunity to have a quick chat with Craig. "Craig, how do you think Lightning's going for you? He had a rather fast start today."

"Yeah, I'm sure Lightning will stay out of trouble. He won't do anything stupid. He just need to stay out in front, in the clean air. That's what he likes."

"Thanks, Craig." Kori made a point of completely ignoring Jamie, but she needn't have bothered. Jamie was already ignoring her.

When the race restarted again a few laps later, Lightning made a point of waiting until he saw the green flags waving before he bothered to accelerate. He didn't want to be penalised for accelerating too early like he had been at Ipswich. McLaughlin tried to stay with Lightning as the race restarted, but the American champion was too good, and he managed to get away.

A couple of laps later, Grant updated Lightning with the current situation. "Paul is now in third place, and you have a one and a half second lead over McLaughlin."

"Thanks, Grant."

Things went very smoothly for the next fifteen laps. Lightning continued to increase his lead until he had a margin of about two and a half seconds. But then, on lap thirty-four, an alarm went off on Lightning's dash panel.

"Grant, I'm running out of fuel again. I need to pit a.s.a.p. I'm using my reserve fuel as we speak."

"Copy that. Come in as soon as you can. You've also completed your minimum laps, so we'll do a racer swap. You've done a great job, mate."

Lightning pitted on the next lap. He was lucky. Grant later told him that, according to their calculations, he'd only had enough fuel left for another half a lap.

Because Craig couldn't leave until Lightning's fuel tank had been refilled, he had to wait the whole twenty-four and a half seconds it took to refill it. As soon as Lightning was dropped down off the jacks, Craig took off.

"So, that's it?" Lightning asked Grant as he drove inside the pit garage. "Can I chill out now?"

"Yes, but be prepared to go back out at short notice, just in case," Grant replied.

While Lightning sipped on one of his protein drinks, he watched Paul and Jamie conduct their pit stop.

Once the chaos of all the pit stops had been cleared, Lightning was delighted to see that Craig had managed to maintain the lead he'd given to him, while Jamie also maintained the third place Paul had given to him.

While there were a few more minor collisions over the next fifteen laps, none of them affected the leaders. On lap fifty-four, race control decided to send out the safety car to clear some debris off the track before it caused an accident. The deployment of the safety car prompted many teams to have their racers pit.

"We'll have to double-stack," Leyland announced to the pit crew. "They both need fuel urgently. Craig is to have priority."

Lightning had never seen the team double-stack in the pits before, so he watched on with interest. Craig came into the pit bay first, followed by Jamie, who had to wait behind his teammate while Craig was being serviced. That meant that Jamie was left with part of his rear end sticking out into pit lane, which could be dangerous. The Holden Racing Team was also double-stacking.

Luckily, Craig was serviced very quickly, and Jamie moved into the pit bay just as carnage broke out in pit lane. Further up the lane, another racer was released unsafely, resulting in a similar situation to the one Frosty had caused the day before. The collision caused a huge pile-up in pit lane as the racers all tried to get out at once. But the chaos was in Jamie's favour, and he managed to sneak back out onto the track in front of most of the other racers while they sorted themselves out.

Once things had finally settled down, and the race had restarted, Craig found himself still in the lead, but Jamie had dropped back into fourth. A few more laps later, Grant called Leyland over to his computers.

"I've just been analysing Lightning's data. Because of the current weather conditions, he's used up more fuel today than he did yesterday."

"I noticed that. So, what are you saying?"

"Craig and Jamie won't finish the race without another fuel dump. I can imagine that other teams are starting to notice that too."

"What's the margin?"

"About five laps at the current pace."

"All right, we'll bring them back in in a few laps."

Dutto removed his headset. "Doctor Andrews?"

The team doctor drove over to him. "Yeah?"

"I'm getting an overheating warning from Jamie."

Doctor Andrews glanced at the TV screen, so he could see how Jamie was looking. "He doesn't look distressed, but it is a hot day, so he probably doesn't realise he's starting to overheat." He glanced at Leyland. 'I say we bring Jamie in for fuel as soon as possible. That should get him out of the exhaust fumes for a while."

Leyland nodded. Much as he hated to see Jamie lose his position, his health was far more important. He nodded to the pit crew, who scurried around to get set up for the pit stop. Dutto put his headset back on.

"Jamie, come in after this lap, please."

"Copy that," Jamie replied.

Leyland raised his eyelids in surprise. He'd been expecting Jamie to protest the order, but it actually sounded as though Jamie was grateful to be pitting.

A lap later, Jamie pitted. Dutto asked him if there was anything he needed other than fuel.

"Just some water, please," Jamie replied.

Leyland and Dr Andrews exchanged a glance. Usually, race cars didn't need water. Their high-performance oil and protein drinks kept them hydrated enough. Obviously, Jamie felt as though he needed more. One of the pit crew members grabbed a can of chilled water out of the fridge.

As soon as Jamie stopped in the pit bay, the fuel nozzle was shoved into his tank, and then Jamie began gulping down the water offered to him. Just over ten seconds later, Jamie was on his way again. Seeing the warning light go out on his computer, Dutto smiled. Jamie would be okay now.

A few laps later, Craig was brought in for his splash-and-dash of fuel. From then on, it was all about how much fuel each racer had left. The constant pitting for each of the different teams caused the race order to change on nearly every lap. By the second last lap, Craig was settled in fourth, while Jamie was struggling to maintain seventh. The result didn't change by the time they crossed the finish line.

"Good work, guys," Leyland praised them both as they went for their warm-down lap. "Not quite the result we wanted, but that was a solid finish."

Lightning glanced at Paul. His teammate and rival had been very quiet all weekend. "Jamie did a good job, didn't he?" Lightning asked.

"Yeah," Paul sighed. Then he smirked at Lightning. "I hope you enjoy yourself in the States, because when you get back, I am going to smash you in Sydney!"

Lightning groaned in disbelief. His decision to go and race in the final race of the Piston Cup Series could either be a huge advantage for him, or a huge mistake.

 **Thank you everyone for your reviews! They're greatly appreciated. I'm so glad I'm inspiring others to write their own stories. I can't wait to start working on the sequel either!**


	62. Chapter 62 - The Rust-Eze 400

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 62 – The Rust-Eze 400

 **Motor Speedway of the South, Nashville, Tennessee – Friday, 20 November, 2015.**

One of the largest media packs every seen had gathered in the paddock area of the Motor Speedway of the South. It was hard to believe that they were all waiting for just one car to show up – Lightning McQueen. All the other piston Cup racers were already at the track, and they too waited near their respective trailers for Lightning to arrive. Most weren't too concerned about Lightning's return. They knew he was just racing as a wildcard entry, and so they didn't really see him as a threat; especially since it had been over a year since he last raced in a speedway.

Finally, the sound of approaching sirens pierced the air, catching everyone's attention. Then, they saw it. A huge semi-trailer was approaching the stadium under police escort.

Inside the trailer was Lightning and his new crew chief, Tony Gearslownski. The rest of Lightning's new pit crew would join them at the track the following day. Lightning had spent the last week flying under the radar in Radiator Springs, spending time with his friends and answering heaps of questions about what he'd been doing, and what Elinor and Craig had planned for their future. Now, he was on the phone, chatting to Craig about the V8 Supercars' last racing round that had taken place in Auckland, New Zealand, the weekend before.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lightning asked with concern.

"Lightning, I just said I was! Yes, I had a tyre blowout, and yes, the chances of me winning the Racers' Championship are now all but gone, but I'm lucky I was able to steer myself into the tyre wall, and not into the concrete wall. These things just happen, and fortunately I needed nothing more than some serious panel beating. Obviously, it's not my year to win the Championship. At least Jamie's back in Leyland's 'good books' with his two wins and a second place. I managed to get a second and a fourth, so despite my DNF for one race, we had a pretty good weekend. Hopefully things will go better for us next year."

"Yeah. Have you settled on a date for the wedding yet?"

"We have, actually. Unfortunately, because of Christmas and New Year's Eve, we weren't able to book a place at such short notice. So, we've settled on January sixth. I hope you can make it!"

Lightning laughed along with Craig. "I sure hope so. Aren't you going to ask me to be your best man?"

"Nah, Jamie's doing that, on the proviso that there's to be no buck's night. There's no point anyway, since I haven't been a bachelor in over fifteen years. I'd love for you to be one of my groomsmen though."

"Definitely! Sorry, but I have to go now. I'm just about to arrive at the racetrack. Good luck for your race this weekend!"

"Thanks. You too. Don't do anything stupid."

"I'll try not to. Bye."

Lightning hung up his phone with a heavy sigh. He glanced out of the trailer's window as they entered to stadium. The trailer belonged to Redbulldozer Racing, and normally it was used to transport Formula One racers around America, but they'd loaned it to Lightning for the weekend. They'd even modified the trailer's paintwork to make it match the Redbulldozer Racing Australia's colour scheme, which was slightly different to the Formula One's paint scheme.

The media pack burst into a resounding chorus of cheers as the truck hauled the Redbulldozer trailer into the paddock area. The truck honked his horn loudly in response. Lightning drew in a deep breath. He wished Sally had come with him, but she'd wanted to spend some more time with Flo, and so he'd left her in Radiator Springs.

Looking out at the crowd again, Lightning frowned. This wasn't what he'd wanted, but it was what he'd expected. Tony cleared his throat.

"Time to focus, Speedster."

"Yeah… Okay, I'm ready for this. Let's go."

Nodding, Tony pressed the button that lowered the ramp. Like a mob of crocodiles, the press moved forwards, all trying to get photos or footage of Lightning. Unfortunately for them, all they got was Tony.

"McQueen! McQueen! McQueen!" they shouted loudly.

Tony just remained where he was, with a smug smile on his face. Eventually, the press realised that he wasn't going to move anytime soon, and they started to settle down.

"Thank you," Tony said in a calm and quiet voice, which made the press really quieten down so they could hear him. "Now, would you please give Lightning the respect he deserves, and move back? That's it; create a nice path for him to get through... That's good, thank you. And just for the record, Lightning won't be answering any questions now. You'll have to save your questions for the press conference being held in the conference room at six o'clock tonight. Thank you."

Lightning smiled. He'd only spent a few days with Tony, and he could already read Lightning better than Dutto could. He couldn't have asked for a better crew chief. In fact, he was surprised Leyland hadn't promoted him sooner.

Now that the press had settled down, Tony moved out of the trailer, giving them full view of Lightning. Smiling, Lightning emerged from the trailer. The press began clicking away with their cameras.

"Thanks, guys," Lightning said. "I know you have heaps of questions to ask me, but I have a lot of things to sort out, so I hope I'll see you later this evening. Thanks again!"

Racetrack security arrived then to help escort Lightning over to the grandstand, where the Piston Cup offices were. Tony went with them.

After Lightning had finalised all his paperwork with Strip, he was escorted by two security officers to Dr Carburettor's office. Strip had ordered the security for Lightning to stop the press hounding him.

Dr Carburettor, the Piston Cup's Chief Doctor, welcomed Lightning and Tony into his office. "Well, it's been quite a while since I last saw you, Lightning. How have you been?"

"Pretty good. I certainly can't complain."

"That's good. I'm just going to give you a full medical exam today, since it's been over a year since I did your last one. I know you've had medicals with your team in Australia, but the rules state that you need to have one anyway."

"Just as long as there are no needles," Lightning said, frowning.

"I afraid there is. Do you think you should be restrained?"

"No, I think I'll be okay."

"Very well then. But if I think you need to be restrained, I reserve the right to be able to do so. Now, could you please park yourself on the lift for me?"

Lightning complied. Dr Carburettor spent the next ten minutes testing Lightning's breathing and engine rates. He then tested his hearing and eyesight.

"I've just noticed that your speed limiter is still connected," he said as he looked around at Lightning's engine bay. "I think you'll race faster without it connected."

Lightning rolled his eyes. "I'm so used to having it, I guess forgot to ask Doctor Andrews to disconnect it."

"Allow me…"

Lightning yelped when Dr Carburettor disconnected his speed limiter. "Ouch!"

"Sorry. What's this?" He gently touched Lightning's brake bias lever with his tyre.

"That's my modified brake bias lever," Lightning explained.

Tony drove forwards. "I've checked the Piston Cup rule book, and Lightning's brake bias complies. I have the drawings for it, if you want to check."

"Thank you, I'll take a look at them later." He lowered Lightning's bonnet. "Okay, well the rest of your setup looks exactly the same as it did last time. Now, I just need to weigh you, and take some fuel and oil samples."

"Don't forget I run on E85 fuel now," Lightning said.

'I haven't forgotten. Don't you find it tastes awful though?"

Lightning shrugged. "I'm used to it now. At first, it made me sick, but now I don't even notice the taste."

Dr Carburettor nodded. "Well, Strip has made sure you have access to E85 fuel all weekend. Oh, and one more thing. I'm afraid your rear view mirrors will have to be removed…"

"Oh, that's easy," Tony said. "They're only held on with suction caps." And he pulled one of Lightning's mirrors off. "See?"

"Yes… Now, let's get on with these samples…"

Finally, Lightning's medical exam was complete. Unfortunately, he'd have to wait until the following morning to know the results, but he felt reasonably sure he'd passed.

At precisely six o'clock, Lightning and Tony joined Strip for the press conference. It was being broadcast live on R.S.N. Lightning wasn't terribly surprised to see how packed the conference room was. He smiled as he parked in the middle of the stage behind a microphone with Strip on his right and Tony on his left.

"Good evening, everyone, and thank you for attending this press conference," Strip began. 'We decided on the arrangement so that you could all have the opportunity of asking Lightning and his new crew chief, Tony Gearslownski, some questions in a civilised manner. You will all have the opportunity of asking Lightning one question each, but please keep them short as we only have half an hour for this conference. As I'm sure you're all aware by now, Lightning will be racing in the Rust-Eze 400 as a wildcard entry. So, who'd like to start?"

A young female reporter raised her tyre. "Mr McQueen, do you regret leaving the Piston Cup?"

"No, not at all. I've found that racing in the V8 Supercars has taught me so much I didn't know about racing, and it's also taught me a lot about myself."

"Are you looking forward to racing in the Piston Cup again?" An older male journalist asked.

"Of course! I wouldn't be here if I wasn't!"

Muffled laughter rang through the crowd. Another young female reporter spoke up next.

"Do you think you'll find this race challenging for you? I mean, before you moved to Australia, you were winning nearly every race, so do you think you'll struggle now that you've spent a year away from the track?"

Lightning licked his lips thoughtfully. "To be honest, I haven't even thought about that. I'm merely going to use this race as a training exercise, and it will give me an excellent opportunity to get to know Tony better before next year. But please, don't expect to find me near the lead at the end of the race. I still have two races left in the Development Series, and my aim is to return to them in one piece. So, sorry to disappoint you, but I won't be taking any unnecessary risks on Sunday night."

"Lightning, you're now sponsored by one of the biggest racing sponsors in the world," a middle-aged male began. "How's that worked out for you?"

"It's been great having Redbulldozer sponsoring, not just me, but the entire Triple Eight Race Engineering team. I don't feel bad for leaving Rust-eze because, with my career going the way it is, I had to make the decision to move onto bigger and better things sooner or later. I'll always be grateful to Rust-eze for giving me the support I needed to get into the Piston Cup, but I think everyone there realised that I wouldn't stay with them forever."

An older female journalist began speaking. "I understand that your mother is planning to-"

"I'm sorry, but Lightning won't be answering any questions about his personal life," Tony interjected. "Please confine all questions to racing."

The woman sheepishly glanced down at her notes. While she did that, a young male asked the next question.

"My question is directed to you, Tony. Are you aware of Lightning's track record with crew chiefs? I mean, he sacked three in rookie year, and…"

Lightning groaned and he rolled his eyes. "Honestly, mate, that was nearly ten years ago! And you all wonder why I left the Piston Cup? Honestly, I wanted a fresh start, where I wouldn't be constantly humiliated by the American press, and reminded about my past! Okay, I was a completely different car back then, but I've changed a lot since then! It seems that once you build a reputation in this country, you can't change it! I have a good mind to stay in Australia, if this is the way you treat me! At least the Australian media respect celebrities, and they rarely invade our personal space. Now, as for you ridiculous question, Tony and I have already become good friends in the short time we've spent together, and I hope that we can work really well together next year to produce the results we both want."

The whole room had frozen in stunned silence during Lightning's rant. He'd never lost his temper in public like that before, so they weren't sure what to do next. Strip cleared his throat.

"Well, somebody had to say it!"

Strip's comment released the awkward tension in the room, but Lightning barely noticed. He felt ashamed of his outburst, and so he struggled to listen while the next question was being asked. Strip gently nudged him.

"Sorry, could you please repeat that question?"

"What are your plans for 2017? Will you stay in Australia, or will you return to the Piston Cup?"

Lightning exhaled deeply. "I haven't made a decision about that yet, sorry."

The room fell silent again.

"Are there any more questions?" Strip asked. When nobody said anything, Strip ended the press conference.

"I'm so sorry, guys," Lightning apologised to Strip and Tony as the three of them left the conference room. "I didn't mean to snap like that. I'm just so tired of them remembering my rookie year. It was so long ago now, so really they should just forget all about it."

"The media never forget, sadly," Strip said. "I'll issue a statement to them, saying that you were tired and…"

"No, Strip, it's okay. Thanks, but I have to live with it now. At least I didn't swear on live TV! Now, if you don't mind, I think it's time for me to head back to my trailer. I want to hit the track early tomorrow. That is, providing I pass my medical."

"Okay. Guess I'll see you in the morning then."

Lightning nodded as Strip drove away. He then turned to face Tony. Before he could say anything, the sturdy forklift held up a can of Lightning's protein drink.

"You're a legend, Tony, Thank you! I need this more than anything!"

"Dutto will be pleased to hear you say that!"

Laughing, the two friends left the grandstand.

…

"Psst! Hey! Lightning! Wake up, mate. I've got some good news for you…"

Lightning yawned widely. "Oh? What?"

"You've passed your medical with flying colours! Doctor Carburettor said that you're the fittest he's ever seen you."

"Wonderful," Lightning muttered as he settled back down to sleep again.

"Oh, no you don't!" And Tony tossed a bucket of water all over the sleeping race car.

"AHHH!" Lightning screamed. Tony pointed towards the racetrack.

"We're not in the V8s now! You can say goodbye to your sleep-in for a day! It's time to get to work!"

"You'll pay for that!" Lightning muttered darkly as he reluctantly drove out of his trailer. Once outside, he shook the water off himself before facing Tony again. "So, what's the plan this morning, chief?"

"Well, I… What did you just call me?"

"Chief. I think it's time you got a nickname, since the rest of us have one."

"Whatever. Okay, let's start off with a few warm-up laps, so you can get comfortable with the track again." He glanced up at the stands. "And it looks like we have company…"

Lightning followed his gaze. Sure enough, a small group of journalists was there to watch.

"Wherever invented long-distance lenses has a lot to answer for…"

"Okay, let's focus and give them a show. They want to see if you still have what it takes, so let's not disappoint them. Let's get over to pit lane, and I'll do a radio check."

Before long, Lightning was out on the track with most of the other Piston Cup racers. But it didn't take long for him to notice a problem.

"Uh, Tony?" he said over the radio. "I'm still set up for V8 tracks. I need some serious antiroll-bar and shock adjustments."

"To get you balancing to the left?" Tony asked, smirking knowingly.

"Yeah…"

Tony laughed. "Come back in."

Once Lightning had pitted, his new pit crew set to work making all the adjustments on him. Unlike the V8 Supercars, Lightning needed his left side to be tighter than his right, which allowed for the curvature of the Piston Cup tracks.

When Lightning returned to the track, he felt the difference immediately. He was able to grip the track better, and the balance helped keep him exactly where he wanted to be on the track. After a few more warm-up laps, Tony gave him permission to go faster.

"Take it up to one-ninety miles an hour," Tony suggested.

"Uh, Tony? My speedometer is in kilometres now, remember?"

"Oh, right. Make that three hundred kilometres then. Might as well stick to round figures."

Lightning accelerated. It wasn't long before he hit three hundred kilometres an hour. Even though that was his limited top speed in the V8s, he'd never been able to reach it.

"Try and stay at that speed for as long as possible," Tony instructed. "It's a good exercise for building up your stamina quickly. Especially since you have a six-hundred and forty-three kilometre race tomorrow."

Lightning groaned audibly. "Say that in miles! It doesn't sound as long!"

Tony just laughed heartily in response.

…

Later that day, Lightning had to attend a racers' meeting. When he entered the meeting room, he saw a racer painted up in his old Rust-eze colours all by himself on the far side of the room. For a fleeting moment, he thought it was Jimmy, but the he realised that it couldn't possibly be him. While he was glad the team had found the strength to regroup and move on, he couldn't help but reflect on the accident which had claimed Jimmy's young life.

Seeing his friend, Junior, parked all by himself as well, Lightning decided to join him.

"Hey stranger!"

"Oh, hi, Lightning! Wow! I would never have recognised you in that paint scheme! I was expecting a 'G'day' from you."

Lightning laughed. "Believe it or not, most Aussies don't use half the slang we think they do."

Junior chuckled. "What, so they don't actually say 'G'day'?"

Lightning shook his front. "I think I've only heard it used once they whole time I've been living there."

"Wow! I always thought they spoke in that crazy slang they have."

"I've never heard it. Anyway, what's up with the new Rust-eze guy? He seems pretty quiet."

"He was hired after Jimmy's death, and I think that's made him keep to himself. He must feel pretty awful taking the place of someone who died in such tragic circumstances. He's not a bad racer, but he doesn't have the flair you and Jimmy had."

"I understand that you're in with a chance of winning your very first Piston Cup?"

Junior chuckled. "Yup! With you now out of the way, I'm in with a solid chance. It's been very close in the points this year. So, are you looking forward to racing on a real racetrack again?"

Lightning scoffed. "Trust me, you have NOT raced on a real track until you've done Bathurst! But yeah, I'm looking forward to making things a bit harder for you tomorrow. By the way, would you be interested in helping me out next year? You see, I need a co-racer for the Enduro Cup and-"

"Right, let's make a start with this meeting," an official said.

"We'll chat more later," Lightning whispered.

…

Lightning was able to sleep in the next day. Since the race wouldn't start until three o'clock, Tony let him sleep for as long as he wanted to, and then ordered him to have some more. And so, Lightning didn't emerge from his trailer until just after noon. He'd had a long discussion with Junior after the meeting the day before and, as he'd expected, Junior had promised to think about being his co-racer in the Enduro Cup next year.

As the afternoon wore on, the stadiums began to fill up with fans. Lightning decided not to hide in his trailer for once. He wasn't here to fight for the Piston Cup, so he might as well enjoy the moment.

Finally, it was time for the race to start. After Lightning's pit crew had conducted their final checks, Lightning followed the field out onto the track. Starting from last place didn't really bother him, but it did seem to bother the fans. They obviously wanted him to win.

As the leading racer passed under the green flag, the race began. Lightning kept pace with the car beside him until he'd also passed the green flag. Then he started to accelerate.

"Relax, Speedster," Tony said over the radio. "You've got a long race ahead of you, so don't burn yourself out trying to take the lead on the first lap."

Laughing, Lightning eased off the pace. "Sorry. That was nothing more than pure instinct."

"I understand. Just try and focus here, okay?"

"Copy that."

Soon, it was time for the first pit stop. Lightning's pit crew were only trained in the V8 Supercars method of pit stops, so he hoped they'd know what to do.

Sure enough, they did. It was obvious that they'd been practicing, because they had Lightning refuelled and his two left-hand tyres changed a good five seconds faster than the other pit crews. That really helped Lightning's position, and he managed to return to the track in twenty-second position.

"Great pit stop, guys!" Lightning praised once he was back out on the track. "Keep it up!"

By lap two-hundred, Lightning had moved up into fourteenth place. The commentators, Brett Mustangberger and Darrell Cartrip, were very excited by that.

"He left the Piston cup a year ago because he was bored with it, and now look at him out there! He doesn't look bored at all!" Darrell exclaimed.

"There aren't too many cars in the world who can jump codes as smoothly as he seems to have done," Brett added. "It's obvious that Lightning McQueen is an extremely gifted racer. We just hope that he will make the decision to come home after his contract in Australia is over."

Meanwhile, out on the track, Lightning was attempting to overtake another racer, when Tony interrupted on the radio.

"How are you feeling, Speedster?"

"Too be honest, I'm starting to tire," Lightning admitted.

"Just pretend you're at Bathurst helping Craig," Tony suggested. "And that Frosty is just in front of you."

"Great idea!"

And, with that mental image in mind, Lightning surged forwards again.

Then it happened.

Up ahead, Lightning heard the sound of a tyre blowout. Then, he saw one of the leading racers swerve out of control, sharply to the right, straight into the wall. The sickening crunch and scream of metal against concrete filled the stadium.

Not wanting to get caught up in the wreck, Lightning swerved down off the track, narrowly avoiding another racer on his way. He drove along the flat section of tarmac at the base of the bank until he was well clear of the accident, before accelerating back onto the racetrack.

"Update please, Tony."

"Three cars crashed out. The rest have managed to avoid the wreck, but they're about to release the pace car. You're now in tenth."

Nodding, Lightning began to slow down as the yellow flags came out. Glancing up at the big screen, he was relieved to see that Junior had not been caught up in the accident either. However, the Rust-eze racer was one of the victims, which made Lightning feel very sorry for him.

A few laps later, once the injured racers had been taken to first aid, the pace car left the track and the race resumed. Lightning had a good restart, but it was obvious that he was really starting to hurt.

"How are you feeling now, Speedster?" Tony asked him gently over the radio about ten laps later.

"I'm not really sure," Lightning panted. He glanced up at the leader board to see what lap he was on. He was on lap 283, and that was also how many miles he'd done.

"Well, the data I'm getting indicates that you're showing severe signs of fatigue," Tony told him. "Clearly, your stamina has suffered a lot because of the sprints in the Development Series. I think you should pull out before you injure yourself."

Lightning hesitated. Deep down, he wanted to keep going, but he also knew that Tony was right. He wasn't fit enough to finish the race without straining his engine, and possibly causing severe damage, which could result in him losing the Development Series Championship. He had everything to lose if he didn't quit soon.

"All right, I'm coming in," Lightning told Tony.

"I'll let the officials know," Tony replied. "You've done a great job, Lightning. We're all really proud of you."

Up in the commentary box, Brett and Darrell watched on in confusion as Lightning pitted. They hadn't heard his discussion with Tony on the radio, so they had no idea what was going on.

"It looks like Lightning has decided to take his next pit stop early," Brett mused. "I wonder what's behind those strange tactics?"

"Hold on," Darrell interrupted. "I've just heard a rumour from the officials that Lightning is pulling out of the race!"

"Well if he is, there must be a good reason for him to do that," Brett added with a touch of concern in his voice.

Down in the pits, Lightning stopped in front of Tony, who was still perched on his crew chief stand. He stood still for a moment, while he tried to get his breath back. Then, he started shivering as his body temperature suddenly dropped.

"Lightning, you need to start your post-race recovery exercises," Tony instructed. "Now!"

Reluctantly, Lightning forced himself to move. He drove behind the crew chiefs area, where he threw up a little bit of his fuel onto a small patch of grass. One of his pit crew pushed a can of protein drink in front of him, which Lightning began sipping on.

"That's it," the forklift encouraged. "Just take a few small sips, and then keep driving around until your RPMs start to settle back down. I'll let you have more then."

Nodding, Lightning did as he was told. Tony drove over to them, talking to one of the officials on the radio.

"I'm telling you, Lightning has decided to pull out… Yes, I know Doctor Carburettor gave him a clean bill of health, but he doesn't test racers' fitness levels. Listen, for the past year, all Lightning's ever done was sprint racing. The longest distance he did this year was about four hundred kilometres, or if you prefer, two-hundred and fifty miles… Yes, I thought that would help you understand…. No, I don't think Lightning needs first aid. He's in recovery as we speak. If his RPMs don't come down quickly, I'll take him straight to first aid... Okay, thanks." Tony looked straight at Lightning. "How are you feeling now?"

"Stupid. You kept telling me to pace myself, and I didn't listen."

"You would've burned out sooner or later anyway."

"Then… You knew I wouldn't be able to finish this race?"

"No, but I had feeling you wouldn't be able to. This is why switching racing codes is so difficult. Trust me, I've seen it all before, which is why Leyland promoted me to being your crew chief. Before I started working at Triple Eight, I was a support engineer in Formula One, and then I was a data technician in Indycar racing. I saw several racers try to change between the two, and fatigue at longer distances was always a problem. It's not your fault at all. You get so used to racing one way, and then when you make a sudden change like you just did with little preparation, your body is just not going to be able to handle it. Does that make sense?"

Lightning nodded as he kept driving around slowly. "I wish I'd known about that before I agreed to come back."

"I could've told you, but Leyland and I both discussed it, and we thought this would be a good lesson for you to learn. Now that you've experienced it for yourself, you'll know for next time. Besides, I doubt you would've listened to us if we'd just told you."

To Tony's great surprise, Lightning burst out crying tears of laughter. He laughed for at least five minutes before he finally collapsed onto his chassis, completely exhausted. "I have to hand it to you, Tony. You and Leyland know me too well! How on earth do you do it?"

Tony shrugged innocently. "When you've been in this industry as long as we've been in it, you develop the knack for being able to read racers' temperaments just by watching them race. Come on, now. Stand up. I need to counts your RPMs."

Lightning tried to get back onto his tyres, but he found he didn't have the energy left to do that. "I think I'll just go to sleep right here… Wake me up when the race is over…"

…

Junior ended up winning the race, and on top of that, he also won his very first Piston Cup by just three points. Lightning, having recovered somewhat as the race came to an end, was the first racer to congratulate him when Junior finally returned to the pits after his victory lap.

"What happened to you out there?" Junior asked with concern.

"Severe fatigue," Lightning replied, shrugging. "My crew chief and I decided it was best if I pulled out. I'm glad I did, because I could never have finished that race without injuring my engine."

Junior looked puzzled. "You used to be able to do these distances with ease though."

"I know. But my training regime has changed a lot. I no longer need to focus on endurance races, although I think that's something Tony will want me to train heavily in next year. But that's enough about me. Go on and enjoy your win. The media are waiting. Few racers will get to celebrate this moment more than once in their lives, so savour it as much as you can. You've more than earned it."

Smiling, Junior turned towards the waiting media. Lightning stayed where he was, watching as the press closed in with their cameras, all asking Junior questions at once. Sighing, Lightning looked up at the familiar stands, where some of the fans were beginning to leave. A year ago, this had been reality for him, but now it felt like this was just a distant dream. It was obvious that nobody wanted to talk to him, and that made him feel somewhat sad. Turning slowly, Lightning saw Strip approaching him.

"Well done, Lightning," Strip said sincerely. "To be honest, I don't quite know what kind of a performance I was expecting to see from you, but you drew the crowds back, which is what we wanted."

"Yeah," Lightning whispered. Then, louder, he added, "Just do me a favour, Strip. Don't you EVER ask me to come back to the Piston Cup. If I do decide to make a comeback in 2017, it'll be MY decision entirely. Do you understand?"

Taken aback, Strip nodded. Tony drove up alongside Lightning.

"You ready to go, Speedster?"

"Yes, Tony. Thanks for your help, Strip. I know the future of the Piston Cup is safe in your capable tyres. I hope I'll see you again soon too."

"Yes. I wish you all the best with your racing in Australia."

"Thanks.'

And with that, Lightning followed Tony over to where the Redbulldozer trailer was parked. Tomorrow, he'd be going home.

 **Whoops! I've done it again; written another very long chapter. Sorry about that. Hope it was worth it though. I'm really delighted with this chapter, so I hope you all enjoy it. Thanks so much for your reviews! They're really helped motivate me to get this story finished.**

 **Sorry I haven't really done much between Lightning and Sally. Since I'm trying to focus on Lightning and his perspective in this story, I haven't really had room to include her. I'll try to do that more in future. I've also had several people suggesting names for Lightning and Sally's baby. Sorry everyone, but I've already selected the name and gender for their baby. And no, I won't be giving away any hints. You'll just have to keep reading (hehe!).**


	63. Chapter 63 - The Grand Finale

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 63 – The Grand Finale

 **Sydney Olympic Park Street Circuit, Homebush, 15 kms west of Sydney, New South Wales – Saturday, 5 December, 2015.**

"Lightning, is everything okay?" Dutto asked during one of the support races at the Sydney 500. Now that Davo was back as Jamie's crew chief, Leyland and Dutto had resumed their previous roles, which meant that Dutto was now back as Lightning's crew chief for the final two races of the year. "I mean, you've been very quiet ever since you got back from the States. I know you and Tony debriefed when you got back, but is there something else going on that you haven't told me about?"

Lightning exhaled deeply. "It's hard to put my tyre on it… I don't know… I guess, going back there made me realise just how much I've changed over the last year. It felt like I was…in a different world, you know? One that I didn't belong in anymore. It was…strange." He shrugged. "Like I said, it's difficult to explain."

"That's okay. I think I understand. We can talk about it more later. I'm sorry, I wish we could spend time discussing it now, but we need you to focus on your qualifying session now. Since it's so hot today, Doctor Andrews is going to be keeping a very close eye on your body temperature. I'm sure you'll be okay, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

Lightning nodded. "Yeah, I wouldn't expect anything less. Okay. Let's do this."

Dutto slapped Lightning's fender gently with his forklift arm. "That's what I like to hear!"

But despite their optimism, Lightning really struggled on the super tight street circuit. Even though he'd topped the times during the practice sessions the day before, he couldn't pick up the pace when it counted, and he ended up qualifying in twelfth. To say he was disappointed was an understatement.

"If I don't place in the top ten in these last two races, I can say goodbye to the Development Series Championship," Lightning explained to Sally and Elinor over lunch in the V.I.P. stand. "I'm not sure if I can do it. Paul is a strong finisher, and I am really struggling to get up to speed with these tight corners. There's only eighty-nine points between us, and the winner gets a hundred and fifty points, so it's going to be close."

Elinor frowned sternly. "Lightning, look at me."

Lightning did so.

"Sally and I both know that you can beat Paul and win the Championship. You need to stop worrying and stop doubting yourself. You have more talent than most of those racers out there, so don't waste it!"

"Just be careful out there," Sally added. "Don't take any unnecessary risks."

"I won't," Lightning promised.

Smiling proudly, Sally gave Lightning a small kiss on his fender. "Go get 'em, Stickers!"

…

In the Championship Series, Jamie qualified fifth for the first race of the weekend, while Craig spun out on the second lap and ended up qualifying in last place. For the second race of the weekend, Jamie got pole position, and Craig qualified in ninth.

Sadly, Craig's spin during qualifying meant that he stood absolutely no chance of taking the Racer's Championship away from Frosty, but that didn't mean that Craig and Jamie weren't willing to make things hard for Frosty. They were determined to make frosty earn his Championship, especially since the Team Championship was still undecided. The Team Championship went to the team with the most points overall, and the winning team got first choice in choosing which pit garage they wanted for the following year. The Triple Eight Race Engineering team (Redbulldozer Racing Australia) had dominated the Team Championship for the past five years.

Two hours later, the Championship racers were lined up on the grid, ready for the start of the third last race of the year. Since Lightning's race was immediately afterwards, he went over to the transporter to relax and get some physiotherapy from Dr Anderson.

When Lightning returned to the pit garage to make the final preparations for his race, he was pleasantly surprised to see Jamie up in the lead on the second last lap. Craig had managed to move into fifteenth place, and that is where they stayed until the chequered flag. Frosty came in fifth place, and that was enough for him to secure the Racer's Championship.

Lightning didn't have time to hang around during the celebrations for Frosty, nor did he really want to. He had his own important race to worry about.

Sadly, despite Lightning putting in a fantastic effort, he finished his first race of the weekend in eighth place. He had several near misses with the walls, which frightened him into not taking risks that a more experienced V8 Supercars racer might have taken, but nobody blamed him for being tentative.

"I want you to treat today's experience as an important learning curve for you," Dutto said to Lightning during their quick debrief. He brought up a spreadsheet on his computer, which compared Lightning's braking and acceleration points with Craig's and Jamie's. "I'll print this off for you after this next race, along with a detailed map of the circuit, and I want you to study both of them tonight before you go to sleep. That should help you read the track better tomorrow. The good news is, although Paul won today's race, you still have a chance to redeem yourself tomorrow. But you will have to finish on the podium to win the Development Series Championship."

"Great, nothing like pressure," Lightning muttered as he drove away to finish his post-race recovery.

Jamie ended up winning the second Championship race as well that afternoon, while Craig finished in seventh. The team returned to the hotel with mixed feelings. While they were reasonably happy with the day's results, they were also disappointed that the Racer's Championship had slipped from their tyres.

"Oh well, there's always next year,' Leyland said to himself as he left the pit garage that evening.

…

Lightning was up unusually early the following morning. He hadn't had the best night's sleep owing more to the heat than to his nerves. He'd even had to get up several times during the night to get drinks. At first, he hadn't been able to understand why he was so thirsty, but then he'd realised he must've been a bit dehydrated. He hoped he'd be okay in time for the qualifying session for his last race of the season.

He wasn't the only one feeling dehydrated. Nearly all of the racers were suffering from the heat in one way or another. Many of them dived into ice baths as soon as they arrived at the track. After consulting with Dr Andrews, Lightning opted for a more invasive cure, namely a drip. He only agreed to it because the results were immediate and long-lasting, which is what he needed.

The drip worked, and by a quarter to ten, Lightning was ready for his final qualifying session in the Development Series. Some of his fellow competitors didn't look as cool and calm as he did, but unfortunately for him, Paul wasn't one of them.

"You can do this, Speedster," Dutto told him as Lightning stood outside the pit garage, waiting for the pit lane exit to open.

"I'm not so sure, Dutto. I mean, I studied the spreadsheet you gave to me last night, but I was too tired to remember it. Sorry."

"Right, I think I have a solution…" And Dutto disappeared back inside the garage.

Just as Lightning was leading the field out onto the track, he heard a familiar voice jump onto the radio.

"Need my help, do you, mate?"

Lightning grinned. "If you don't mind, Craig. I need to put in just one fast lap, safely."

"Don't worry. We can do this. After you've done your warm-up lap, I'll tell you when to accelerate and when to brake. It might feel strange at first, but you'll find that it makes sense."

"Let's do this!" Lightning said as he accelerated towards the start/finish line.

Craig coached Lightning over the next few laps, telling him exactly what to do and when. After five laps like that, Lightning felt confident enough to put in a fast lap all by himself. And so, Craig and Dutto kept radio silence while Lightning raced as fast as he dared around the tight street circuit.

"One twenty-nine point four-two-five-two," Dutto announced as soon as Lightning finished his fast lap. "Top of the leader board. Well done, mate! You did it!"

"Yes! Thank you, guys! Especially you, Craig. I couldn't have done it without you."

"You're welcome,' Craig replied.

Unfortunately, just one lap later, LeBroc beat Lightning's time by a tenth of a second. Lightning wasn't too upset by that though. Just being on the front row of the grid was enough to keep him happy. In fact, he'd begun to notice that the racer who started in second place on the grid usually finished on the podium. However, Paul had qualified in third place on the grid, so this race would really determine just who the better racer between them was.

After lunch, the Championship racers had their qualifying round, followed a short time later by the top ten shootout. For the final Championship race of the year, Craig would start from thirteenth, while Jamie managed to qualify in third, with Frosty starting right alongside him in fourth. Obviously, Jamie had managed to get his speed back, thanks largely to the operation a few months earlier on his antiroll-bars, and he was determined to remind Frosty that it wasn't easy to win the Racer's Championship.

Immediately after the top ten shootout, it was time for the final Development Series race of the year. As Lightning emerged from the Redbulldozer Racing garage, the crowd erupted in a resounding chorus of cheers and applause.

"And there he is," one of the commentators said as footage of Lightning came up on the big screens. "Former Piston Cup Champion, Lightning McQueen, hoping to make Development Series history by being the first racer to win the series on debut here today."

Lightning was surprised to hear that. He exhaled deeply as he closed his eyes. "Speed. I. Am. Speed. Seventeen laps… Have to get on the podium… Can't let Paul get too far ahead of me…"

The blast of an air horn snapped Lightning back into reality. It was time for the formation lap.

A few minutes later, the racers were all lined up on the grid, ready to begin the race. Lightning drew in a deep breath as he revved his engine in eager anticipation. He stared at the lights, not daring to blink.

"Green flag, Speedster, green flag," Dutto told him on the radio. "Five seconds…"

Time seemed to stand still as Lightning waited those final few seconds for the race to start. Finally, the lights went out. Lightning's reaction time could've been measured to just half a second. He even surprised himself by the speed of his acceleration as he took off, leaving LeBroc well behind.

"Brilliant start, Lightning!" Dutto praised.

Unfortunately, Lightning's limited experience with street circuits meant that he soon lost momentum, and Paul quickly caught up with him. Being the older and more experienced racer, Paul was able to put pressure on Lightning. He attempted to pass Lightning twice, but Lightning managed to block him on both occasions. Finally, as they approached turn eight, Dutto jumped on the radio.

"Lightning, let Paul past. He's got the pace, and we can't afford risking you crashing out."

Reluctantly, Lightning let Paul get by him, but he tactfully slipped into Paul's slip stream. Despite that, he couldn't manage to stay with Paul, and soon the margin between them had expanded to one and a half seconds.

Luckily for Lightning, a crash between two racers a few minutes later triggered the safety car, allowing the gap between Paul and himself to close as they fell in behind the safety car. Three laps later, the race restarted. As soon as Lightning saw Paul begin to accelerate, Lightning went with him, keeping the gap between them down to under a second. By now, the crowd was cheering excitedly. Clearly, they were more than delighted to see such an epic battle unfolding.

Despite his best efforts, Lightning couldn't get close enough to Paul to attempt a safe overtake. On lap fourteen, Leyland jumped on the radio.

"Lightning, I want you to maintain second place. We've done the maths, and even if Paul wins, you'll win the Development Series Championship by seventy-seven points if you stay in second. Ease off, and race at your own pace, okay?"

"Copy that, Leyland," Lightning replied. "Thanks for that info."

"Keep going, Speedster. You'll do it."

As soon as he saw Lightning beginning to slow down, Paul decided to employ some smart, or what some people might describe as dirty, tactics. He also slowed down, thereby forcing Lightning to slow down even more. And that, in turn, enabled LeBroc, who was racing in third, to catch up and put more pressure on Lightning. Basically, Lightning had become sandwiched between the two other racers.

"I don't like this, Dutto," Lightning told his crew chief. "Surely, this is illegal?"

"Sadly, it's not," Dutto replied. "We can only make a protest if they touch you too hard, or if they knock you out of the race."

Luckily for Lightning, Paul and LeBroc were too experienced to do anything as stupid as that. And then, Lightning received some fantastic news from race control.

"All racers are advised that this is now a time certain race," Michael Masi, the Development Series race director, told them all over the radio. "Final lap, I repeat, this is the final lap."

 _Thank you!_ Lightning thought as LeBroc dropped back taking the pressure off him. Now, the race was just himself and Paul. Paul, realising that LeBroc wasn't able to help him, tried to increase the gap between himself and Lightning, but it was no good. Lightning remained right behind his rear bumper all the way to the chequered flag.

"You did it, Lightning, you did it!" Dutto exclaimed jubilantly over the radio.

"Nice work, mate," Leyland added. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, guys!" Lightning replied, still not quite able to believe that he'd actually won the Development Series Championship.

In fact, it didn't sink in until he arrived back at the pits after his victory lap. The officials directed Lightning over to the podium area. But before they presented him with his championship trophy, Dr Lee took Lightning into the first aid room so he could take fuel and oil samples.

"I think this is the worst part about being a racer," Lightning muttered as Dr Lee stuck the needle into one of his oil lines.

Dr Lee chuckled. "It's all part of being an elite athlete."

"Ow!' Lightning yelped as Dr Lee slowly removed the needle.

"Sorry. I'll just seal that oil line, and then you can go. I'll send those samples to the lab, and we should get the results back in a few days."

Minutes later, Lightning was presented with his Development Series Championship trophy in front of an excited crowd. Sally and Elinor were amongst those cheering the loudest, making Lightning grin widely. When the bottles of champagne were opened, Lightning sprayed his bottle all over Sally and Elinor.

"Lightning McQueen!" both women screamed in unison as they ducked for cover.

Laughing, Lightning took a swig straight from the champagne bottle. For him, the racing season was over, and he'd survived his very first year in the V8 Supercars. It was time to celebrate.

 **Eeep! That was the second last chapter! Only one more to go, and I'll begin writing the sequel 'Lightning the V8 Supercar'! Super excited, and I can't wait! I've got so much planned for it already...**

 **Thanks once again for your reviews! They've been so helpful and encouraging. I'm so glad so many people have enjoyed this story. I should have the first chapter of the sequel up by the weekend (fingers crossed!), so please keep an eye out for it.**


	64. Chapter 64 - A Gala Wedding

**Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Pixar. All OCs belong to me.**

Chapter 64 – A Gala Wedding

 **The Star Hotel, Sydney Harbour, New South Wales – Monday, 7 December, 2015.**

A huge crowd of fans and paparazzi had gathered outside the main entrance to the Star Hotel, eagerly awaiting the arrival of everyone associated with the V8 Supercars for their annual Gala Awards Night. They were soon rewarded when the first guests started to show up.

The Redbulldozer Racing team were amongst the last of the guests to arrive. That was partially because Lightning, Craig and Jamie had been rather stiff and tired after their racing efforts the day before for the final races of the season, and so they found themselves really dragging their tyres to get ready. For once Leyland and Dutto didn't bother to harass them. They knew that Sally and Elinor would manage that for them. Sure enough, they did.

By the time the team arrived at the Star Hotel, the paparazzi were in full force, eager to snap photos of all the racers and the teams. Lightning was glad to see that the hotel's security was busy keeping the press well away from the red carpet. Smiling, he and Sally posed on the red carpet for the cameras before they headed inside the lavish venue. Behind them, on the red carpet, Craig and Elinor also posed for the cameras. This was the first time they'd officially appeared in public as a couple, so that created quite a stir amongst the paparazzi as they tried to figure out just who Elinor was.

Inside, the Redbulldozer Racing team were shown to their tables, right near the front of the large dining room, complete with stage. They ended up occupying three tables, with Lightning, Sally, Craig, Elinor, Jamie, Leyland, Dutto, Grant and Davo all at one table, and the rest of the team at the other two.

Shortly after six o'clock, the evening got underway with Australian singer-songwriter, Delta Goodrem, singing one of her classic songs, 'Sitting on Top of the World'. Afterwards, the entrée was served. For once none of the racers had any qualms about eating the rich food being served to them. After all, this was the one and only night in the year when they could relax and eat whatever they wanted to eat without being scolded.

Once the entrée had been eaten, the CEO of the V8 Supercars, Mr Warburton, drove up onto the stage. "Good evening, everyone, and welcome to our seventeenth annual International V8 Supercars Gala Awards Night." He paused as everyone applauded. "Thank you. First up, let's welcome this year's Racer's Champion, Mark Winterbottom, onto the stage."

While Frosty was giving his speech, Lightning and Sally discreetly played 'footsies' with their tyres. From the smiles on Craig's and Elinor's faces, they were obviously doing the same thing. Luckily, nobody at their table noticed, because they were too busy listening to Frosty's speech.

"Thank you, Mark," Mr Warburton said as Frosty left the stage. "Next, please welcome to the stage this year's Development Series Champion, Lightning McQueen."

Blushing shyly, Lightning gave Sally a quick peck on the fender, before he drove up onto the stage. He parked in front of the microphone.

"Thank you, Mr Warburton. Ladies and gentlecars, a year ago, I made the decision to leave the Piston Cup Series, so I could race full-time in the V8 Supercars. My new team boss, Leyland Dane, wisely decided to make me spend a year racing in the Development Series, so I could learn and adjust to racing in the Touring Car format. In hindsight, he couldn't have made a better decision, because otherwise I probably wouldn't be standing up here in front of you tonight. So, Leyland, thank you for believing in me and giving the support I needed. Dutto, Grant, Craig and Doctor Andrews, thank you for all the encouragement and advice you gave to me. It was invaluable, and I couldn't have done this without you. The whole support crew; I know you guys are often forgotten, but you were all incredibly amazing and at the top of your game all year round, and without you, we wouldn't be able to do what we do as well as we do. I hope that makes sense."

A quiet ripple of laughter ran throughout the room.

Lightning continued. "I really feel like I'm now a part of the Triple Eight Race Engineering family, so a huge thanks goes to all of you. Finally, I'd like to thank my mother, Elinor, and my gorgeously beautiful wife, Sally. You have both been pillars of support for me throughout the year, picking me up whenever I needed someone strong by my side. This year has been a tremendous rollercoaster for me, and I'm expecting much more of the same next year as I enter the Championship Series. Thanks guys."

Everyone gave a resounding applause as Lightning drove back to the table. Sally nuzzled up against him.

"That was beautiful. I nearly cried."

"Don't. Your mascara will run," Lightning teased. Sally let the comment slide.

Other highlights for the Redbulldozer Racing team came towards the end of the evening, when they won the Fan Choice award for Best Team, and then the winner of the Fans' Choice Best and Fairest Racer was announced. Delta Goodrem was given the honour of making the announcement.

"And the winner for Best and Fairest Racer of 2015 is…Craig Louds!"

As those in attendance began to cheer and applaud, Elinor planted a huge kiss on Craig's lips. Chuckling, Craig quickly pulled away and then he drove up onto the podium.

"Wow, thanks guys!" he said once everyone had settled down. "I must say, I really didn't expect this at all. I don't believe I was the best racer out on the track this year. We're all so talented at what we do, and each race throws up new surprises for all of us. Sure, some of us have been racing a lot longer than everyone else, but that's just how this sport of ours works. I've already seen some incredible emerging talent coming through the ranks. Lightning, I know we're teammates and all, but I'm really going to be watching out for you on the track next year. Shane, I look forward to having you join our team, and I can't wait to see you fulfil your full potential. Frosty, I know we're fierce rivals, but you have got some super skills, mate, and I know that you'll use them to your full advantage next year now that you've learned how to use them properly. My good mate, James Courtney, I know you've had a rough year, but I really look forward to racing hard against you next year and well into the future. And finally, Chaz Mostert; it's fantastic to have you here with us tonight. I know you're recovering really well from your horrific accident just a few months ago, and we all look forward to seeing you return to the racetrack again soon. Thank you, everyone, and a huge thanks to CAMS for doing their best to keep us safe. Thanks again, guys."

Immediately, the entire room was filled with a resounding applause as Craig received a standing ovation. Blushing, Craig returned to the relative safety of Elinor's side. She whispered something to him, but Lightning couldn't hear what it was above the noise. But he could see that she was very proud of him.

As everyone began to settle down, Lightning looked around at the Redbulldozer Racing Team. In that moment, he realised that what he had here was something he'd never had in the Piston Cup – a family atmosphere. Sure, everyone had their own personal struggles and responsibilities, but somehow, when they were all together like this, none of that seemed to matter. Everyone just seemed to fit in easily and, even more remarkably, Lightning had never seen anyone fighting with one another. Yes, there were squabbles and arguments, but they were always settled quickly and diplomatically, and it was always down to just one car – Leyland. He was the glue that held the team together. Without him, it was possible that the whole team would simply fall apart.

…

Just a few days later, Leyland was in Thailand, on board his racing yacht, Jessandra II, racing in a regatta. So many people found it funny that, even in the V8 Supercars off-season, Leyland still found a way to participate in racing. The big difference in yacht racing was that, even though he owned Jessandra II, he wasn't the skipper. For once, somebody else had the right order him around for one simple reason; he wanted to be more 'tyres-on' than he was in the V8 Supercars.

"Leyland, tighten up that sail!" one of his crewmates shouted from the other side of the deck.

"Not yet!" Jessandra II yelled, just as her face dipped below a wave. When she resurfaced, she shouted, "Now!"

The wave had left the deck slippery, and just as Leyland reached for the rope to tighten up the sail, another large wave tilted Jessandra II sharply over to her right, and Leyland lost his grip. Luckily, the safety railing stopped him falling overboard, but he felt a sharp pain shoot through his front left axle, and he felt a bit dizzy because his roof hit the railing.

"Ow!" Leyland yelped.

"Leyland! Are you hurt?" one of the crew asked anxiously.

"Yes, but don't worry about me! Let's just finish this race."

The crew hesitated before returning to their respective tasks. When Leyland ordered them to finish a race, they knew better than to disobey.

…

Just under a month later, on the sixth of January, the day of Craig's and Elinor's wedding finally arrived. They'd decided to get married in the gardens of a historical homestead in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. It was exactly what they both wanted – a small, intimate and secluded wedding. Nearly all of the Redbulldozer team had been able to make it, along with most of Craig's friends and family. Only Ms Phillips wasn't there, for obvious reasons. Lightning's grandparents and both of his aunts had also arrived, along with Craig's parents. Elinor had invited all of their friends from Radiator Springs, but sadly only Flo, Sherriff and Mater had been able to make it. The three of them had arrived in Brisbane just before Christmas, and so they'd spent Christmas day with Lightning and Sally at their mansion, along with Craig, Elinor, Jamie and the rest of Lightning's family. It had been strange for them to spend Christmas in summertime, but they all agreed it was a nice change, especially after Jamie had suggested that they all go down to the beach in the afternoon. Jamie even managed to convince Lightning to try surfing again and, surprisingly, this time Lightning managed to surf a small wave before falling off. All in all, it had been a great day, and Lightning couldn't help but wish he could spend more Christmases just like that.

While they were waiting for the wedding to begin, Lightning chattered with his grandparents and aunts. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sally and Mater also having a nice little chat. But then, he saw a familiar figure limping up the centre aisle.

"Excuse me, grandma," Lightning said, politely interrupting her long-winded lecture about his diet. Without waiting for her to reply, he drove over to the limping Vauxhall Cavalier. "Leyland? Are you okay? What happened to you over Christmas?"

"Yacht racing accident," Leyland grumbled. "And if you dare laugh, I'll make sure Tony makes you work your rear bumper off after you recover from your surgery this weekend."

Lightning cringed. He was trying to forget that he was having surgery that coming Saturday to have a larger fuel tank installed. He'd need it to race in the Championship Series.

"I won't laugh," he promised. 'But what happened?"

"I slipped as Jessandra II listed during a race. Smashed my roof against the safety railing, and I've done something weird to my left axle. The doctors all say that it's not a break, but it's not sprained either. I'm seeing a specialist in Sydney later next week. In the meantime, I can still drive with this brace on, but it isn't very comfortable." He shrugged indifferently. "We ended up finishing the race in second place by just three points. The Japs were just too good for us this time."

"Well, at least you were able to make it here today," Lightning said sincerely. "I know mum and Craig will appreciate it."

"The bride is coming!" someone shouted.

Immediately, the guests and attendants scurried into position. Lightning parked himself up the front alongside Jamie. Craig stood nervously on Jamie's other side.

"You got the hubcaps?" Lightning whispered to Jamie.

"If you ask me that one more time, I swear I will string you up by your spoiler from my apartment balcony!" Jamie hissed back.

Lightning sheepishly flinched. Then, he smiled when he saw Craig's children, Luke and Cindy, coming down the aisle, showering rose petals from special attachments to their wheels. Behind them came Flo, who was decked out in silver metallic paint as Elinor's Maid of Honour. Finally, Elinor appeared, looking resplendent in her silver lace paintwork. Her original dark blue paintwork could be seen through the holes in the 'lace', and she wore a small silver tiara on her roof.

Craig's jaw nearly hit the ground. Elinor looked so beautiful, and so young. In fact, it would've been impossible for anyone who didn't know them to guess that she was over ten years older than him, let alone that she also had an adult son. Lightning, for his part, couldn't help grinning broadly. He hope desperately that this would be her last ever wedding, and that she and Craig could finally spend a long and happy life together. After all, it was what they deserved after everything they'd both been through over the years.

The wedding ceremony went smoothly, leaving some of the women reduced to tears. Afterwards, once Craig and Elinor had driven off together to get ready for the reception, Mater came over to Lightning.

"Hey, bud? I's got some news fer ya. Wanna hear it?

"Sure, Mater. What is it?"

For once in his life, Mater looked like he didn't know what to say. But then, in his usual fashion, he blurted it out.

"Holley and me is gettin' married!"

 **Well, there you have it! That was the final chapter in this story. I hope you've all enjoyed it, but it isn't quite finished yet, because there are still some events which will carry over into the sequel, Lightning the V8 Supercar' (like Lightning and Sally's baby. That's going to be exciting, even for me, lol!). I should have the first chapter posted in a couple of days, so please keep an eye out for it! I must extend a huge thank you to those of you who have followed this story closely and have taken the time out of your busy lives to write a review. It means so much to me, and they are what motivate me to keep writing. All the best!**


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